


A Vacation Of Sorts

by Treo_dishks



Series: Eternal Bliss [2]
Category: Assassin's Creed, Prototype (Video Games)
Genre: Beach House, Boys In Love, Desmond is a saint, Drama & Romance, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, so much drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-24
Updated: 2016-12-03
Packaged: 2018-08-24 11:51:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 22,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8371267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Treo_dishks/pseuds/Treo_dishks
Summary: When Desmond's cousin sister invites him and Alex for a vacation at a beach house, he thinks it's going to be filled with fun, relaxation and good times. Or at least, that's what he thinks.A story of reconciliation and comfort, along with moments of our favorite couple, Alex and Desmond.If you haven't read the first part, you may find it a little confusing. I suggest (and if you have time) that you read the first part of this series and then come to this.<3





	1. Initial Bliss

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again, my lovely beautiful readers! I'm back!! This was meant to be a one shot, but somehow my brain decided to create a multiple chapter story. 
> 
> I have also created my very own character, Melissa Miles. In my AU William Miles has a younger brother and his daughter is Melissa. So, she is Desmond's cousin sister. I felt that Desmond would be a really cool elder brother y'know?  
> Anyhoo, enjoy reading it!
> 
> Beta read by my buddy, Vi!
> 
> Nothing belongs to me, except Melissa!

June was almost over and Desmond had graduated high school. 

His graduation ceremony had been a week ago and it felt strange to him, to not be able to go to high school again. But he was happy to have graduated. His boyfriend Alex had been an excited mess. He had been nervous first, worrying about his valedictorian speech and then worrying if he would faint in the middle of his speech. Frankly it was really funny for Desmond, but then he had comforted his boyfriend. Everything had been good. Alex had given a wonderful speech, earning applause and even tears from some of the students. Desmond had beamed with pride when everyone had stood up and applauded for Alex. 

Needless to say, Alex had annoyed Desmond to no end. They were not worried about college either. Alex had been accepted at Michigan State University. 

There was a reason why Alex wanted to go there. It was the same place where his parents had studied. It was the place where they had met and fallen in love. 

Alex had made up his mind a long time ago to study in Michigan. And now finally, he would be able to go to the University where his parents had studied.

On the other hand, Desmond had no idea what to do for college, but Alex had been persuasive to know about his plans. He had reluctantly told Alex that he had always wanted to open a nightclub of his own. Alex had listened to him with rapt attention before he gave Desmond ideas. He asked Desmond to take some business management courses and luckily for them, Michigan State University had the undergraduate program that Desmond wanted. 

They both had applied together to universities. Alex had got his acceptance form first. It was no surprise to Desmond, because Alex was smart as fuck and he could get into any university he wanted. Desmond had gotten his letter much later and he had been relieved when he had got it.

Alex wanted to study microbiology and genetics or something like that. While Desmond himself had no interest in science, he did encourage his boyfriend to go after his dreams. 

He was actually very happy that he had got in the same University as Alex. He knew that Alex was always scared that distance would destroy love and friendship. If it were not for his hatred of distance relationships he would have hit it off with Karen a long time ago. It was his aversion towards distance that kept him away from her. 

Desmond knew that it was an undesirable trait of Alex, but he couldn’t help but love him in spite of it. 

Presently, he and Alex were driving to his cousin's beach house. The beautiful beach house was in Southampton. There were not many houses around it and it was really close to the sea. The house belonged to his dad’s younger brother. Desmond was not so acquainted with his cousins on his father’s side. He rarely visited them and frankly, he did not like most of them.

The only exception was Melissa Miles. His first cousin. 

The beach house belonged to her father. 

She was the one who planned a vacation at the beach house. She had invited Desmond, Alex, her friends and three of her cousins.

Desmond loved Melissa like hell. She was sixteen and he was overprotective of her. She did not have any siblings and she often felt lonely. Desmond could empathize with what she felt. He had also felt lonely most of the times. Even though Altair was a cousin brother to him, he was always going to be just that. His cousin brother. 

Altair could never be his own brother. Desmond could not call him as his own.

He had felt that there was no one in his life to call as his own, until he met Alex and Melissa.

Melissa had been just four when he had met her for the first time. They both had gotten along well until Walter Miles, his uncle, had shifted from Boston to New York.

They both had remained close, always keeping in touch through phone calls and emails. She always confided her problems with him and he did the same with her. She was precious to him.

When his parents had died, Walter had not been eager to take Desmond with him, but Uncle Umar had been adamant that Desmond stay with him and his family in Hartford. At that time, Desmond was glad, because it was away from Boston, away from the pain. Melissa had been distraught that he did not come to live with her, but he had somehow convinced her that it was the right thing. He had promised her that he would always be with her and he had, even if most of it was through the internet.

And then there was Alex. At first, he had been Desmond’s closest friend, but after that drunken kiss when they were sixteen, Desmond had been a little confused. The sad thing was he had had no time to focus on that because it was the same year he had met Lucy.

Lucy with her sweet smile and sharp gaze. Lucy, who had made him feel flustered and alive. He had been infatuated with her and had later fallen in love, but he had no guts to ask her out. The previous year he had somehow managed to ask her out, only for all of it to blow up in his face. They had different personalities and priorities. They had often fought and in the end they broke it off. They had parted off as friends and he knew he still loved her, albeit in a different way. 

In the end, he thought it was all for good. His relationship with Lucy had nearly ruined his bond with Alex. Sure, there was the fact that Alex had been getting too close with Karen. That had been the instigating factor. From there it had led to where they were now. Friends turned to lovers. 

It was _sappy_ and Desmond loved it.

So Alex was his anchor. He had seen all the sides of Desmond and he had still stayed with him. And Alex belonged only to him. He could call Alex as his own. His best friend. His boyfriend. _His_ lover.

He was exalted that he finally had someone who was just meant for him. Nobody understood why he was so possessive of his boyfriend. They all laughed and cooed when he behaved possessively, but only he knew why he acted like that.

He knew his cousins well. Some of them were decent ones, and some of them, not so much. He needed to shield Alex away from those girls. And there was also the case of Melissa’s friends. He had no idea how they would behave around Alex.

They were driving to Southampton on Desmond’s bike. Desmond had gotten a beautiful bike for his birthday. When Altair had been leaving for college, Uncle Umar had gotten him a car. 

Uncle Umar knew that Desmond liked bikes. He did not ask his uncle for a bike, because he felt it was not appropriate and he was not used to asking anything outright. 

But this year his uncle and aunt surprised him by giving him a bike. It was black with white markings, sleek and big. It also purred like a leopard. 

Desmond had fallen in love with his bike within seconds. He had been shocked that they had even got him one in the first place. 

His uncle had patted his shoulders and given him the keys with a smile.

“You're like my son, Desmond. And I know you love bikes. I had already booked it a few months ago with some help from Altair because I have no ideas about bikes!” 

Desmond had teared up a little. He had hugged them both and thanked them. Then he had called Alex and all his friends. Alex had immediately demanded that he be given the first ride as he was Desmond’s boyfriend. Desmond had readily taken Alex on a ride and if Alex had felt turned on, well, it was not his fault.

Bikes had that allure. Or maybe it was just him.

He came back to the present and focused on the road.

Alex had a backpack on his back. Desmond had no need to pack clothes as he had a wardrobe for himself at the Beach House, filled with clothes and other stuff of his, like books and CD’s. Alex also did not carry many things. Just a few clothes, a toothbrush, the basic stuff. And even if they had forgotten something, Melissa made sure to keep the beach house stocked up.

As they approached the beach house, he felt Alex start behind him. Desmond smiled at that. He stopped the bike in the parking space and felt Alex jump from the bike. There was a minivan in the parking lot and Desmond identified it as Clay’s.

He locked his bike and stood next to Alex and found him staring.

Alex was looking at the beach with star struck wonder in his eyes. The house faced the beach. He walked up to Alex and stood next to him, looking once at Alex and then looking at the setting sun.

Okay, fine. The scenery _was_ beautiful. 

The sun was going down, shooting off rays of bright orange and red. The colours reflected off the dark water and made the entire place look beautiful. There was a soft breeze blowing and the moment was perfect. His cousin, Melissa, had chosen the beginning of summer for their vacation. The nights were not extremely chilly, but there were tiny blasts of cold breeze that was enough to cool the humid atmosphere.

Alex was one to admire nature and he loved watching sunsets. Desmond loved the complexity of his boyfriend. Alex was always so focused and ambitious. When Desmond thought he had Alex figured out, Alex would surprise him by doing something spontaneous or different. It was an enamoring quality of Alex. 

They both watched the sunset silently for a few minutes before they heard the door of the beach house open behind them.

They turned around and saw a girl in a blue tank top and white shorts walk briskly towards them. 

“Des! Oh Des, you're here!”

He opened his arms just in time for the girl to crash into him. He felt her strong arms wrap around his waist.

“Mel! How are you?” He asked her.

Melissa was a pretty girl with blue eyes and black hair. She was cute and chubby and goddamn strong. She was good at boxing and the girl could beat down anyone. She was not the most striking girl in terms of beauty, but she sure caught your attention and made you feel all warm and fuzzy. She made people happy and that was all that mattered.

“I'm fine, Des! I'm so happy that you're here! I thought you weren't going to come,” she said and frowned.

Desmond chuckled. He placed his two fingers under her chin and tilted her face up.

“Like I could miss out on all this,” he said and gestured to the beach.

She shrugged and then she squealed when she saw Alex. She left Desmond and wrapped her arms around Alex’s waist. Alex made an 'oof’ sound as she tackled him. He chuckled and placed a kiss on top of her hair.

“Alex! God I missed you so much!” 

Alex had visited her a few times at the beach house and he texted her all the time. It warmed Desmond’s heart to see them so close.

She drew back and appraised him with a raised eyebrow and a grin. 

“Heard you and Des are a thing,” she said casually.

Desmond snorted and went inside. Alex cheerfully explained to Melissa about their first kiss, first date and the first time they had sex. 

“Oh, it was really weird at first, but Des over there soon got over any initial awkwardness,” Alex said with a snort. Desmond groaned loudly and he heard them chuckle.

That had been an epic night of awkwardness. Desmond had always appreciated Alex’s handsomeness, but he had never looked at Alex in a lustful way. But when he had come to terms with his feelings for Alex, everything changed. He couldn’t get his hands off of Alex. Especially after experiencing first-hand, the wicked things that Alex could do. 

That did not mean that Melissa had to know about it.

“You are not telling my cousin anything about our first time, Alex! I forbid you!”

“Come on, bro, don’t be a prude,” Melissa teased him. 

“Yeah, babe, don’t _pretend_ to be a prude. I know the things that your filthy mouth and mind is capable of,” Alex said coyly and Desmond gaped at him. He knew he’d regret the day that Melissa and Alex had became friends.

The three of them made their way inside to the living room. Desmond was surprised when he saw that among his cousins only Clay had turned up. Clay was not directly related to him. Hell, he was the cousin of some cousin of Melissa, but the two of them were amiable with each other. Desmond spotted two guys and two girls by the recliners who he assumed were Melissa’s friends. 

Clay came up to him with a smile on his face and hugged him. Desmond patted his back and then introduced Alex. It was the first time Clay was seeing Alex.

Clay shook Alex’s hands with a wide grin.

“So you’re the boyfriend that Melissa’s been telling me about. She hasn’t shut up about you since yesterday,” he explained. Beside them Melissa blushed and swatted at Clay. 

“Shush you! Des come and meet my friends,” she said and pulled him to her friends. Desmond did not listen completely, because he knew he was horrible with names and was most likely to forget them as soon as they told him. He had his eye on one particular guy, with long black hair who was looking at Melissa with puppy eyes. He frowned as he tried to remember his name. Arnold? Arnie? Arno? Yeah, his name was Arno. 

Desmond did not like the way Arno was looking at his cousin sister. But other than him, the remaining three were all right, he thought. The girls were not making eyes at Alex and it gave relief to Desmond, but one of them was currently staring at him. Huh, that was interesting.

He looked at the girl as she made her way up to him with a seductive grin on her face. She stood in front of him and looked him up and down. 

“Hi, I am Grace. You look nothing like the way Mel described you,” she purred. Next to him Alex snorted. 

“Really? What did she describe me as?” Desmond couldn’t help but ask. Alex bristled next to him and it was too much fun.

“She told us you were tall, handsome and bisexual-”

“And very much taken,” Alex interrupted her. He folded his arms across his chest and glared at the girl. She looked at him with wide eyes and glanced back and forth between the two of them. Then she smiled at Alex and batted her lashes at him.

“I know. It's just a little harmless flirting. I don't bite or scratch,” she said and then winking once at Desmond, she went back to her group of friends. 

“Nerve of the girl,” Alex muttered. Desmond turned to look at him with a smirk on his face. 

“Jealous much?”

Alex rolled his eyes and snorted. He called out to Melissa and told her that he would freshen up. As he was making his way up the stairs Desmond called out to him. He turned around and raised his brow at him.

“Go to my room. The one at the end of the hallway on the right,” he said and smiled. 

Alex smiled and made his way up the stairs. Desmond felt a flash of anticipation go up his body at the thought of sharing a bed with his boyfriend for a couple of days. 

He was going to enjoy this.

\----

After they had freshened up, they went down to join the others. All of them were making plans. Melissa told everyone that they would spend the following day on the beach and relax. Then they would go out for dinner at a nearby seafood restaurant which, as Melissa stressed out, made the best soup. 

Alex had popped up and said that his sister wanted him to stay a night there with her at her place. She lived in New York with their guardian, Bradley Ragland, and it was a two hour ride or so away from the beach house. 

“Can’t you go the day after tomorrow, Alex? I mean, you just came here,” Melissa said and frowned. He heard the hurt in her voice and immediately replied.

“Maybe I can visit her on Sunday. She often works at that coffee place on Saturday evenings anyway.”

Melissa beamed at him and nodded. Desmond smiled softly at what Alex had done. 

“Right, then I’ll call her and let her know. Excuse me,” he said and moved out the living room.

Once Alex was done with the call he joined them all the dinner table. 

“Hey, I called Dana,” he said after he had sat down next to Desmond. Melissa nodded once, asking him to continue. 

“Yeah, she wants me for dinner tomorrow. She told me she took the day off on Saturday so she doesn’t have to work and she also asked me to stay for a night,” he said and looked down at his plate with a downcast expression. Desmond gripped his hand and squeezed it. “Hey, it's okay. You can visit your sister. It's fine, right Mel?”

Melissa nodded and smiled at Alex. 

“You can go visit her. Just stay until tomorrow evening,” she requested. He nodded gratefully at her and grinned.

Melissa and Arno had cooked for them all, and even though Desmond hated the warm looks shared between Arno and his cousin, he had to agree that the food was good. 

He crisply told them that the food tasted fine while Alex made obscene sounds and ate it with exaggerated appreciation. Melissa and Arno smirked at every sound Alex made. 

After the delicious and light dinner, they all went to bed. 

Desmond and Alex were the last to go for bed. Halfway up the stairs, Alex pinned Desmond to the wall and kissed him passionately. Desmond let out a soft moan and wrapped his arms around Alex. They stumbled their way up the stairs, down the hall and into the bedroom.

Desmond slammed him up against their closed door and put his mouth on Alex’s neck. He nipped at the skin there and sucked on it. He felt Alex run his fingers through his hair and pull on it. It made him lick at the spot even more.

After leaving a dark hickey on Alex’s neck, he pulled the taller boy and pushed him towards the bed. Alex sprawled on the bed and grinned at Desmond. 

Desmond smirked and climbed on top of his smug boyfriend, straddling his hips and grinding down on him. 

Alex let out a throaty moan and pulled Desmond in for a deep kiss. After a moment the two parted and looked into each other's eyes. 

Desmond felt Alex’s hands caress his side and he bit his lip. He leaned over Alex.

“Top or bottom?” Alex murmured.

Desmond leaned further and placed his lips near Alex’s ear. “I wanna fuck you tonight,” he said in a hoarse whisper and Alex cursed loudly. 

He was really _really_ going to enjoy this.


	2. Why I Love Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter.   
> There are references in this chapter from the previous story. So if you are reading this without reading the previous story then I'll tell you about the OC I have created.
> 
> Edith is one of em. She is Bradley Ragland's sister in my au. Alex lives with her in Hartford (where Desmond also lives with his relatives).
> 
> To understand this fic you don't need to read the entire story. Read the 14th chapter from the previous story. That should do it. Sorry for this long note!! 
> 
> Beta'd by Vi!!  
> Please enjoy it!

A shrill sound was going off somewhere. It sounded very familiar. A second later he recognized the sound as his alarm. 

Next to him Desmond cursed and shuffled closer to him. Alex blindly reached out for his phone and snoozed the alarm. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking a couple of times before he checked the time.

His phone showed the time to be five thirty. He placed the phone back on the table next to the bed. 

He looked down and found Desmond's hand thrown around his stomach, his head on Alex’s chest.

He tried to shuffle away from Desmond, but before he could move away Desmond groaned and pulled him closer.

Alex chuckled and ran his fingers through his boyfriend's hair.

“Desmond, babe, I need to exercise. Let go,” he whispered.

Desmond merely shook his head and moved even closer.

Alex smiled fondly at him and removed himself from Desmond’s grip. He got up from the bed and stretched. He heard Desmond grumble.

“I hate your need to exercise every fucking day. Can't even take a day off….”

Alex let him grumble. Back in Hartford Desmond would exercise with him, but he had a tendency to become lazy during vacations. 

He got dressed for his usual morning run and he came down the stairs. He was expecting an empty living room but instead he found Melissa, dressed up in black shorts and a sleeveless T- shirt. She was putting on her shoes when Alex came down. 

“Good morning, Mel.”

She straightened up and greeted him.

“Wanna run with me, Mel?”

She stared at him and considered for a moment. “Will you be able to keep up with me, old man?”

Alex laughed out loud and Melissa immediately shushed him. Only then did he remember that there were others who were still asleep. They made their way out as silently as possible.

There was a path that ran along the beach and they decided to jog there. Alex loved running in the mornings. He loved to breathe in the crisp, cool air of the dawn and he loved the peace and silence. He loved the burn in his muscles as he ran. Beside him, Melissa kept a steady pace and he was impressed by her stamina. After an hour of running they decided to go back to the house. 

Melissa asked him if he wanted to work out in the gym for a while and he agreed. The gym at the beach house was a simple room with mirrors and equipments. There were two doors, one led to the interior of the house and the other led out to the beach.

Melissa put on her boxing gloves and walked to the sandbag hung in the room. She took a defensive stance and began punching the sandbag. 

Alex observed her for a minute before he went and held onto the sand bag. He noticed something off about the teen in front of him.

Melissa was not usually silent and even if she was, she would always smile and smirk at him. She was doing none of that. She had a concentrated look on her face as she punched the bag. He decided to make small talk.

“So, excited for today?”

She gave him an incredulous look and continued punching the bag. She knew that Alex hated small talk. He did not ask her anything else. 

After a while Alex let go of the bag and stepped away from it. Melissa dropped her defensive stance and relaxed. She removed her gloves and put them on a shelf attached to the wall. She got towels and water bottles for them. 

Alex observed her as she wiped the sweat off of her face. Her face was devoid of emotion and it ticked Alex off.

“Okay, that’s it,” he said and threw the towel to the floor. She put her own towel around her shoulders and drank from the water bottle. Then she raised her eyebrows at him.

Alex went to the door that led outside and waved her over. She reluctantly followed him out. There were chairs against the wall of the gym and Alex dropped down in one of them. 

“What’s wrong, Mel? You’ve never been so silent before. Spill it,” he said softly. 

She stared at him with a steely gaze for a minute before she sighed and sat down next to him. “I was going to discuss it with Des tomorrow, but I guess I could ask you about it too,” she said. Alex took her hand and squeezed it.

“Mel, you know can share anything with me.”

“Yeah, I know, but Des knows a little about this already, so I’ll feel better if I discuss this with him.”

She was looking at the sea as she spoke, but there was a hint of a smile on her face. 

Alex nodded and told her that he understood. 

Neither of them spoke for a while. The only sound was from the birds and the waves. Then she asked him a question. “When did you realize that you had fallen in love with Des?”

Alex inhaled sharply and looked at her. Nobody had asked him that before and he wondered why she was asking him now. 

“There was never really time for me to sit and think if I had feelings for him or not. I just realized one evening that the feelings I had for him were beyond platonic. I just knew I loved him more than a friend and it was a painful realization,” he said and looked at her carefully to gauge her reaction. She was still looking ahead with a passive expression.

“Painful huh?”

She turned to him and gave a sardonic smile. He nodded and continued. He would tell her exactly what he meant when he said it was painful. 

“I never intended to fall in love with Desmond when I decided to be his friend. We both weren't even in the same school to begin with. We both met at Edith’s bookstore. Mrs. Ibn-La’Ahad came over to buy some books and I saw him there with a glum expression. We both started talking and we became friends. We both met after school and we spent most of our time at Edith’s book store. It was a great place to just sit and talk. We'd even meet at his house sometimes. It was good,” he said and smiled, remembering the days when they were so innocent and carefree. 

“All this sounds happy. I don't see any hint of pain,” she said. Her voice brought him out of his reverie. He sighed and told her that he was just getting started.

“When I was fourteen, I told this one boy at school, one of my only friend at that school, that I liked him and he was actually disgusted. That evening his friends beat me black and blue for having a crush on him. I had bruises and a black eye. I did not go to the bookstore that day. I just sat near my school, not wanting to do anything. I was just so sad and…..”

Melissa moved the chair closer and rested her head on his shoulder. He felt a surge of love for her. It was difficult talking about it, but he owed her this. He took a deep breath and continued.

“Desmond found me after a long time. He had a panicked look on his face and he was panting. It looked like he had been running around searching for me. He looked at my wounds and asked me what had happened. After I told him he hugged me tightly. He told me that it didn't matter if I liked both boys and girls, that he would like me the same. That I was still the same pain in the ass friend I was. It touched me so much that I cried then. After that he took me to his home and his uncle treated my wounds. He then called Edith. The adults were all furious at what had happened. I changed schools after that and joined the one in which Desmond was studying. Well, that was when I found out that there were actually people who loved me,” he said and stopped. 

“Alex, you don't have to tell more if it's too painful for you. I don't want you to…”

“It's okay, Mel. Let me finish it, please,” he whispered. Melissa nodded and gripped his fingers tighter.

“It happened when we were fifteen. Desmond had broken up with his girlfriend. I don't quite remember her name. I remember I was studying for a test when he barged into my room nearly in tears and he sat on my bed. He told me he broke up with the girl and I asked him why. I remember he avoided my eyes when I asked him that so I sat next to him on my bed. He told me that his girlfriend had heard some rumor about him and me. Someone had spread rumors saying that Desmond and I were a thing and that he was cheating on her. That bitch actually believed it and confronted him about it. She met him in the coffee shop and asked him about it. He broke up with her there after an argument and then he came to me. I thought he was upset because he had broken up with her, but he was upset because I was once again mocked for my sexuality,” he said and his voice broke.

His eyes pricked with tears and he closed them. “He told me that he hated those people for the way they saw me. He told me that he had called her all sorts of names and had left her. He told me he had called her a _homophobic bitch_ in the middle of the coffee shop and had left her there. And he did it for me. I felt a deep ache in my heart and I felt like it was being pulled from my chest. I had fallen for him then and I knew it was only going to bring more pain for me because he defended me as his friend, but what he did for me touched my heart in more ways that I could imagine.”

“But he eventually fell for you too. It was inevitable. There’s so much pain and hurt that you've both faced that it’s just fitting. You comfort each other,” Melissa said softly and Alex nodded. It was true what she said. Now, they were happy and they were inseparable. He held a deep affection for Desmond and he knew that Desmond was it for him. It scared him a little but it was all right.

“Thank you for sharing this with me, Alex. I'm so happy that you both found each other. And I'm happy I found you too. You're like my big protective brother. I love you,” she said and kissed his cheek. He chuckled and kissed her forehead in return. He loved her too. He was happy to have her as another sister. He was so lucky he had so many people who loved him. 

He was still confused as to why she had asked him that, but he knew that if she wished she would tell him. She was like Desmond in that aspect. When the time was right, Desmond would share his troubles, but until that moment, he would hide it inside himself. Melissa was just like him, so he decided to let go for now.

“Now, let's go in. I'm feeling hungry and I'm sure the others have woken up,” he said and got up.

They made their way to the kitchen. They found Desmond, Clay and one of Mel’s friend, Arno sitting around the table drinking from steaming mugs. The girl who had flirted with him yesterday was there too. She was sitting on the couch with her phone. 

He paid no attention to her. His gaze fell on Desmond. 

Desmond stood up when he saw Alex enter the kitchen. Alex wrapped his arms around him and leaned down for a kiss. Desmond deepened the kiss and clutched Alex.

They parted when they heard giggling. Alex looked over and found Melissa snickering at them. He smirked and let go of Desmond.

He looked down at Desmond and found a beautiful blush on his face. He kissed his cheek and went about to get himself a cup of coffee. 

He glanced back once and found a small smile on Desmond’s lips. Alex felt elated at that moment. It was true, he had fallen for him and he would never, no, _could never love anyone the way he loved Desmond_. 

He was sure of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you ppl think about it? I'd love to hear from you guys!
> 
> Thanks for reading! Until next time!  
> <3


	3. Talking Helps A Lot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More Fluff  
> More talking  
> ...And some fun on the beach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, fellas, how are you all doing?
> 
> Sorry, for the huge delay in updating this. I had my semester exams and boy, weren't they boring to write! -_-  
> But, it's holiday time. Which means time to update chapters at a quicker rate!!!! Yay!!!
> 
> Hope you enjoy it! Let me know if you like it or not.  
> Beta read by Vi, my faithful friend <3 She ships Almond so hard. She's kinda the reason why I began writing this.
> 
> Happy Reading!

The teens spent the entire morning at the beach. After breakfast they all headed out to the sea for a dip. The water was warm and the skies were clear. They stayed in the water for a while before they made their way out. Desmond did not enter the sea as he was already tired due to last night's activities. And because he did not want to expose his torso in front of everyone because he knew they would comment on the love bites left by Alex. 

Desmond was dressed in white shorts and a sleeveless vest while Alex just wore black beach trunks. Alex proudly sported all the bruises and hickeys that Desmond had given him. Everyone stared at him when he removed his shirt at the beach before going into sea. 

Melissa and Clay grinned at Desmond and the rest of them avoided looking at him. The two of them asked Desmond to remove his, but he blushed, stuttered and refused. 

Alex laughed at him and actually came to his rescue, admonishing the grinning duo to leave his boyfriend alone. Desmond was grateful because if his cousins had continued teasing him he was sure he would've snapped at them.

After having enough of the sea, Clay and the girls, with the exception of Melissa, lay under the sun for a while to get themselves a wonderful tan. Melissa refused and Arno decided to accompany her, much to Desmond’s annoyance. They sat down under the umbrella next to his. The umbrellas in the beach had two beach recliners under each of them. There was another chair next to Desmond and it was presently unoccupied.

Desmond nodded at them and turned his eyes back to the sea. He was busy observing his boyfriend as he swam in the sea. Alex was going against the waves and he knew that it was not an easy feat, but it was a challenge and Alex loved challenges. 

After a while Alex stepped out of the water, droplets running down his arms and torso. Desmond appreciated the view he was presented with. He gazed at Alex’s glistening torso as he walked towards them. The hickeys were a dark contrast against his pale skin. He felt a jolt go through them as he looked at the bites. He realized belatedly that Alex, by exposing the hickeys, was declaring to the world that he belonged only to Desmond. He sighed, feeling a rush of warmth. He watched Alex dry himself with a smile.

Alex gave him a peck on his lips and settled on the chair next to him. He took out a novel from his bag and started reading it. Desmond decided to nap for a while. Melissa and Arno decided to get something to drink as they were thirsty. He heard Alex warn them not to get anything with alcohol in it.

Even though his eyes were closed, he smiled. Alex always kept an eye out for everyone. He fell asleep with thoughts of Alex.

After he woke up they returned to the beach house for lunch. Melissa cooked for them and the food was really delicious. She was quite fond of cooking and could make any complicated dish as long as she had the recipe. 

They ate lunch and rested for a while. 

Alex, on the other hand, packed for a night's stay at Ragland's place and left in the evening in a cab. 

Desmond had kissed him fiercely before pushing him towards the cab and waving at him. 

Desmond hoped that Alex enjoyed with his sister and Ragland. He found Melissa looking at him with a strange expression. He questioned her about her look, but she merely said that she was sad that Alex went. She had wanted him to taste the food at the new seafood restaurant she had been talking about.

“I'm sure you can take him once he comes back,” he said and chuckled. Melissa nodded and went inside. 

They all got dressed and went out to the new seafood restaurant that Melissa had been going on about. Desmond had to agree that the food was really good. They had eaten soup, sushi and many other dishes. They had also consumed lots of beer, except for Melissa and him. She refused to touch the stuff and he refused to drink because there was nobody else to drive. They drove back to the beach house after dinner.

Melissa's friends put on music in the living room and began dancing and singing. Desmond laughed in surprise when Clay joined the young fools. He warned them all to keep the volume down, but chuckled when they all asked him to leave them alone or ‘to fuck off’ as said by Clay.

He made his way up the stairs and was walking to his room when he stopped by Melissa’s room. Her room was dark with no light and it was half opened. He peered inside and found her asleep. He smiled softly at her and entered her room. Her blanket was on the floor. He adjusted the blanket so that it covered her entirely and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. She mumbled something and moved a little, but she did not wake. 

“Good night, my boxing princess. I love you,” he said and walked out of her room. He made sure to close the door fully before he made his way to his own room.

The room felt big and lonely without Alex, but he had little choice in that. Dana also would have yearned to meet her brother, though he did not attribute any good emotions with her. She had hated his guts from day one and it had only gotten worse as the years progressed.

It was even shittier now that they were dating. She had always been cold with him, but now her level of coldness was beyond that of the Arctic Circle, he was sure. 

She stopped replying or even seeing his messages. She would cut his calls and refuse to meet him. 

He knew that she blamed him for Alex not visiting her frequently. She thought that Alex refused to visit New York because Desmond forbade him, but the point was that Alex had bad memories of the city. He was still not over his parent’s death and he did not want Dana to know about how vulnerable he was. Desmond had gladly agreed to take the brunt of her frustrations, but now it was a little trying even for him.

But that wasn't the entire thing, though.

He knew that Dana and Karen were best of friends and that Dana was angry with him because of what had happened last Christmas. He only hoped that she would not start fights with Alex. 

He pondered more about this and fell asleep only around 2 am. 

 

The next morning he was woken up by his cousin sister around eight. She sat next to his sleeping form on the bed and kept punching him until he awoke. “Stop it, Mel or else..”

“Or else what? You’ll punch me?”

She chuckled at the faces he was making. “Why did you wake me up so early?”

“Eight is early for you? My god, Alex was right! You are a lazy bum,” she said and pulled the blankets away from him. “He said what?” Desmond asked and frowned.

“Doesn’t matter. You need to get up now ‘coz you’re spending the day with me Des,” she said and smiled brightly at him.

“I am?”

“Yeah. You’re gonna take me to Fire Island so I can talk with you and spend time with you.”

"How many times are you gonna take me to this godforsaken Island?" He grumbled. They would visit the Island every time he came over. It had become a tradition of theirs. An irritating tradition, at the most.

She frowned and pulled at his hair a little. "For as many times as I please," she said. He scrunched up his face in pain and swatted at her hands

“What about your friends? And Clay? What will they be doing?”

She scoffed and brushed her fingers through his hair. “They will also come with us to the Island. We’ll go for a tour at the Lighthouse and all. Clay planned it. The view is pretty good and all of them agreed with his plan. As you and I have already been to this tour, we will skip the tour. I gotta talk with you,” she said and took a deep breath.

Desmond grumbled out a ‘fine’ and made his way to the bathroom. He heard her squeal and close the door to his room. He got dressed and went down to have breakfast. After a hearty meal he took his keys and went out. The others went to Clay’s minivan and got in. Melissa followed him out a minute later with a brown paper cover in her hand. He pointed to the cover and asked her what it was. She immediately drew it away from his prying hands and glared at him.

“What's in it? Come on, tell me. I’m older than you,” he said and tried to take it from her hands, but Melissa was quicker and she dodged him.

“This is something you should see with Alex. I want him to see it too,” she said. Desmond frowned at her and wondered what it could be. He thought for a moment and remembered asking Melissa to get him a cool sticker for his bike.

“Are those the stickers for the bike?”

She nodded her head and he reached out for them. This time he was able to snatch it from her. She glared at him, but she did nothing.

He laughed at her expression and assured her that they could send a picture of it to Alex. She shrugged her shoulders and asked him to open it. He found two identical stickers inside. He took one sticker out of the cover and gasped. He had asked her to get something with flames. And she had.

The sticker was not very big. It was about a foot in length. It consisted of flames which started off black in color, then into different colors of the rainbow before ending with white tips. It was beautiful and it was what he wanted. He appreciated the rainbow colors she had added because he was proud of who he was and he was not ashamed to admit it. Then, he looked closer at the sticker and found a word partially hidden beneath the colorful fiery design. The letters were translucent, but they were there. He turned to Melissa with a frown on his face. 

“Uh, Mel, why is the word ‘Almond’ printed among the flames?”

She blushed and gave him a smile. “Well, you see, I..uh...I knew that you and Alex love this bike. And I know both of you refer to this bike as ‘baby’ so uh… I decided to create a name. I was messing around with your name and his and uh….I..well...I came up with ‘Almond’, you know. As in, Alex plus Desmond gives Almond. It’s a portmanteau of your names. In case you don’t like it, I’ve got another sticker without the name,” she said and quickly took out the other one.

Desmond took a moment to decide and gave her the sticker with the ridiculous name. If a simple sticker was all that made her happy then he would put the sticker on, however ridiculous it may be. 

“Here, put this on the rear fairing of the bike,” he said and smiled at her. She smiled widely at him before snatching the sticker and sticking it over the rear fairing. The fairing was white in color, so the sticker looked really good. He asked her to put the other sticker on the other side. After they were done they took pictures and sent it to Alex.

Alex sent him heart smileys, texting that he was very happy and that the stickers looked really cool on their baby. 

Desmond’s heart warmed looking at the happiness on her face. He gave her a black jacket and a helmet. She zipped up her jacket and took the helmet which he offered to her. Desmond gave her a once over and nodded at her. She looked really badass with her grey T-shirt, black jeans and sneakers. The black jacket she was wearing belonged to Alex. It was a size too big for her, but it still suited her. 

They got on the bike and followed the others to the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society. It was a beautiful place, surrounded by silence and the sea. The tours were also good.

After reaching there, he told everyone that he would wander around the area as he and Melissa had already been to this place many times. Clay took the others to the Lighthouse for the tours. There were two buildings, one was the Preservation Society building and the other was the Lens Building. 

Desmond and Melissa walked beyond the main building and walked down a path covered with shrubs on both sides. The place was nearly empty. There was just another family with kids. The members of the family joined along with Clay and the others for a tour, much to Desmond’s relief. 

After walking for a few minutes he asked her what she wanted to talk about. She was silent for a while before she began to talk. “I need your advice on something and I really hope you keep an open mind when I tell you about it,” she said and hesitated to continue. Desmond nodded once, asking her to continue. 

“I think I’m developing feelings for my best friend.”

Desmond raised his brows at her words. Gods, was this some family trait? His parents had been friends before they had fallen in love, not to mention his own relationship with his best friend. Melissa's own parents had been the best of friends before they fell in love. Maybe he was just over thinking it. He dismissed the thought and focused on her.

He looked at her and found a doubtful expression on her face. “Ookay,.....and who is this- Oh please, Oh please tell me it isn’t Arno!”

Melissa’s eyes widened in a comical way and she threw her head back and laughed. “There is no fucking way that I could ever fall for Arno. He wishes I was in love him, but no. I adore the little shit as a friend but nothing more than that. That little thing will never happen!”

Desmond breathed a sigh of relief and ran his fingers through his hair. He was so relieved he let go of the fact that she cursed in front of him. “Then who is it, Mel?”

He saw her bite her lip and consider for a moment. He waited patiently until she felt comfortable enough to tell him. “You actually know him. You’ve even met him once. It’s Shay,” she said.

The name brought him some memories. Yes, he had met a stoic young boy of that name at one of her tournaments. He was tall and strong. He trained with her and he was a little more competitive than Melissa. But he was there at every fight and tournament of hers and she was there for him in return. She had talked about this ‘Shay’ many a times. She was currently looking at him with a doubtful look on her face. 

“Since when did you start have feelings for him, Mel?”

Melissa shrugged her shoulders and thought for a minute before answering him. 

“I..uh it happened three weeks ago. His year began rough, you know. His friend had left him, his health was a little bad and worst of all, he had lost at a very important competition. I wanted to cheer him up, but I couldn’t think of one good idea. Finally, I decided to spend an entire day doing things he loved,” she said and her eyes widened with happiness. 

“Ooh it was such a good day, we spent all morning playing his favorite video games. Then we ate lunch at a pizzeria and went to a theater to watch plays.” 

Desmond raised his brows at that and Melissa shrugged her shoulders. “What? He loves watching plays and he took me to a good one too. Don’t judge him.”

Desmond chuckled and made a movement with his hand, asking her to continue. “We came home around 8 and we had dinner at my home. It was a simple family dinner and the only people present there were my parents, his aunt and his dad. The dinner was okay, everything went kinda normally until his jerk of an ex- friend showed up. At first I was confused as to how he found out where Shay was. Later, Shay told me that one of his other friends had slipped up and had accidentally told this fellow. He stood outside and called Shay so many bad things that I just lost my temper. I asked him to leave my property but he just….”

Desmond lay a hand on her shoulder. “Calm down, Mel,” he said. She was shaking with controlled anger. Her face was scrunched up.

“That son of a bitch just stood there and continued hurling slurs at Shay and I lost it. I went outside, walked right up to him and punched him,” she said and grinned. Desmond looked horrified. “Shit, Mel. Was he alright? Didn’t your parents say anything?”

She scoffed and looked up at the sky. “I did not hit him hard enough. He just stumbled back and fell on his ass. After that he ran away saying he would ‘get me later’. Pfft, what a coward. My parents grounded me and Shay’s dad had a weird look on his face, but it was Shay that mattered. He waited until everyone went back inside and then he approached me,” she said and stopped.

Desmond looked on with amusement as a blush spread across her cheeks. 

“He asked me if I was fine and I told him that I was peachy. He looked at me strangely for a few minutes and...he uh...he kissed me,” she said and closed her eyes. “It was worse when I kissed back, even if it was just for a few seconds. After that, he just looked shocked, horrified even, and he went inside. He forced his family to leave early after that and he did not even say ‘good night’.”

“Damn. Have you both spoken after that?”

Melissa shook her head and she turned towards him. “You see, he wasn’t my first kiss, but it was better than my first. I know he’s my best friend and he has kissed me on the cheeks and my forehead before so many times, but that kiss was just..so…”

“Breath-taking? Beautiful? I get it, Mel. That kiss changed everything for the two of you,” Desmond said and smiled sadly. She nodded glumly and he drew her for a hug. He rested his chin atop her head and sighed.

“It was the same for me. That kiss that I shared with Alex, it changed so many things. I never told it to anyone, but I always felt different after that. Any kiss after that was nothing like the kiss with Alex. See, even if I did not know that Alex had feelings for me I knew he was attracted to me. I knew that he liked me that way. Honestly, I thought he had a crush on me and so it affected me more. But it doesn’t have to be that way for you. You don’t know for sure whether Shay feels like that for you. You have so many other people to meet. Know that you have options. This could just be a reaction for what you did for him,” he said. 

She looked up at him sharply.

“What do you mean when you say I have options? What if he genuinely feels something for me and I hurt him by going out with other guys? And I think that if he goes out with other girls it will bother me. Did you do this to Alex?”

Desmond left her shoulders and glared at her. “What do you mean?”

“Go out with other people even after knowing how he felt?”

“I did not know how he felt at that time and I was infatuated with Lucy, so can you really blame me?”

“You just told me that the kiss changed you. Explain that.”

Desmond gave a strained sigh and placed his hands on his hips. “Look, I felt very alive when I kissed him, but soon after that I met Lucy and I fell for her. I swear I did not know that he loved me. But there was some part of me that noticed Alex becoming distant with me. I never thought that _this_ would be the reason. And he never brought up the kiss even once, so I thought it was just us idiots being drunk and dismissed it,” he said.

“Look, Mel, the only reason why Alex and I had such a huge problem figuring it out is because we both did not communicate properly. Boys can be like that sometimes. So don’t do that same mistake we did. Talk with the guy and sort this out before doing anything else.”

Melissa frowned in confusion and she uttered her next words with uncertainty. “So...are you saying...that I am not in love with him?”

Desmond shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “I don’t know. You may be feeling something for him, but you’re not sure. I say you talk it out with him and figure it out with him.”

Melissa smiled at him. “Boys are idiots when it comes to figuring out feelings. You’re right. If he wants to continue with his silent treatment then he’s got another thing coming. I’m gonna talk with him. I can’t lose him.”

Desmond smiled and pulled her into another hug. 

“That’s my girl.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes until Melissa pulled away and looked at him with a smile.

“I spoke with Alex about this yesterday,” she said suddenly and Desmond chuckled. “Really? And what did you ask him?”

“I did not tell him about my problem. I just asked him when he started feeling things for you and he told me.”

Desmond smiled and it was accompanied with a reddish tinge to his cheeks. “What did he say?”

Melissa told him about the incidents that had made Alex fall in love with him. When she told him about the last incident, Desmond growled.

“Sophie was her name. She actually asked me out and I obliged. I thought she was cool until she told those horrible things about Alex.”

Melissa rubbed his shoulder in comfort. “I’m glad you did that. It was such a sweet gesture. In the beginning Alex was telling it with such sadness, but towards the end he was smiling like an idiot, especially when we were talking about the present situation,” she said and chuckled.

“I would do anything to see him smile, Mel. I still remember the day we first met. He was so sad and glum. All I wanted to do was to make him smile. I still want that,” he said with a soft expression on his face.

“You should tell all this to him. He loves these sappy stuff.”

Desmond laughed and pinched her cheeks. "Watch your mouth! That's my boyfriend you're talkin about. And he's not sappy. He's a romantic. There is a difference," he said.

"Whatever, Des. He's sappy and so are you. And I love you both in spite of it," she said and smiled at him. He stared at her happy face for a moment or two before she suggested joining the others.

Desmond nodded at her and agreed with her.

As they were walking back to meet up with others, Desmond was deep in his thoughts. It was true that he and Alex had been afraid to talk with each other and that had led to so much problems. Even now, Desmond had trouble expressing his feelings. It had been nearly six months since they started dating and he hadn’t even told Alex about how he felt. 

Well, that was not entirely true. 

He _was_ expressing his feelings to Alex when he was asleep. It was stupid and cowardly, but it was still a huge step for him. He'd wait until Alex slept and then he'd whisper ‘i love you’s in his boyfriend’s ears. He'd say nothing else, just those three words and then he'd go back to sleep. This happened almost everyday.

He thought back to the conversation he just had with Melissa. He asked her to talk and be open with Shay. He felt it was only fair that he also try and express his feelings to Alex. 

He knew Alex was being patient with him, but Desmond wanted to show that he too felt the same. 

He had other ways to show it though. His actions spoke more. He would always hold his hand and hug him and kiss him whenever he could. Every time he would do that Alex would give him a soft smile, like he understood what each gesture meant. 

Alex meant so much to him. He wanted to tell him every thing he felt. 

Desmond smiled to himself. When Alex would come tomorrow he would have a surprise planned for him. He would take Alex out to dinner and then maybe they could take a walk on the beach and he could tell everything. He nodded to himself and continued to make plans in his mind.


	4. A Meeting Of Sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Calm before storm" seems like the right set of words to describe this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Beta'd by Vi.

After spending time at the lighthouse they made their way to Lens Building. Desmond and Melissa joined the others and they walked around the area, enjoying the scenery. For lunch they ate at a pizza place nearby. Desmond texted Alex and found that his boyfriend was having a good time with his sister.

A few minutes after that, Desmond received a text from Alex and Ragland, inviting him and Melissa for dinner. It had been a long time since he had seen Ragland and Dana. He was a little nervous meeting Dana, but he needed to do it because his boyfriend had invited him. 

He told Melissa and she was thrilled. He told the others about his plans. They were a little reluctant to send Melissa with him, as she was their host and it was the last day that they would spend at the beach house. Arno actually convinced his friends to let Melissa visit Alex’s family and Desmond felt that the boy wasn't so bad. 

Arno also pointed out that they could have fun on the last night and party. Clay agreed and soon they were making plans to make their final night at the beach house a memorable one.

Desmond let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Arno and Clay. A moment later he received a text from Alex.

 

_Alex- Hey! What have you decided? Coming or not? Please say yes babe._

_Desmond- yeah. Mel is really excitd to meet ua fam._

_Alex- that's great. What would you like to eat for dinner?_

_Desmond- why? U cooking?_

_Alex- for u? Sure darlin. What would u like?_

_Desmond- if ur cookin then I dnt want anything. Order takeout._

_Alex- I hate u._

_Desmond - Yeah, rit. I'm starting from Fire Island now. See u soon. Bye._

_Alex- bye. Can't wait. Love u so much. :*_

_Desmond- me too. <3_

_Alex- aww you sent a heart smiley. U must really luv me._

_Desmond- fuck you._

_Alex- ur turn to fuck is over. If anyone's gonna fuck it's gonna be me. And boy am I gonna enjoy that. >:)_

_Desmond- you wish._

_Alex- wishes get fulfilled y’know._

Desmond chuckled seeing his reply. Oh, how he loved him! 

He did not bother replying to it. Melissa looked curiously at him chuckling and tried to snatch the phone from him. He pushed her away and told her that it was nothing that she needed to see. 

They got on his bike and made their way to Ragland’s house in New York. The traffic slowed them down, but somehow they managed to reach his house within three hours. 

Desmond had no trouble finding Ragland’s house because he had visited them a lot of times. 

Ragland’s house was moderately sized with a driveway and a small garden in the front. It was enough for himself and Dana but there were guest rooms just in case. The neighborhood was quiet. 

Melissa had an approving look on her face and she made her way to the door as Desmond locked his bike. She rang the doorbell and the door opened immediately. Ragland stood in the doorway with a smile on his face and he greeted Melissa. Desmond walked up to him and hugged him. It had been a long time since they last saw each other. 

They went inside and were greeted by Alex, Dana and, surprisingly, Karen. Desmond made his way to Alex and he was pulled into a hug. Alex kissed him fiercely and held onto him tightly. They parted when Ragland cleared his throat with an amused expression on his face.

Desmond looked at him sheepishly and introduced Melissa to the others. 

“Everyone, this is Melissa, my cousin sister. Mel, this is Bradley Ragland, Dana and Karen.”

Melissa smiled widely and said, “Please, call me Mel.”

Ragland shook her hands and smiled in return. “Pleasure to meet you, Mel. And do call me Brad,” he said amiably. She nodded and looked at the other two girls.

Alex glanced at Dana and tipped his head towards Melissa. Dana greeted Melissa in a frosty way and so did Karen. Melissa was not fazed though. 

Melissa was given a tour of the house by Alex and Ragland while Desmond sat in the living room with Dana. Karen was out talking to someone on the phone. 

“Hey Dana. How are you?” Desmond asked Dana softly. She looked at him and nodded her head once. “I’m fine. You?”

“Yeah, I’m good.”

They sat awkwardly for some more time until Dana let out an exasperated sigh and walked over to where he was sitting. “Listen, I need to ask you something.”

Desmond looked at her with wide eyes and he gave a nod.

“Tomorrow is Karen’s birthday and I planned a party for her. I need Alex there and I need you to convince him to come for her party. She cares him a lot and it will hurt her if he isn’t there,” she said in a desperate voice. 

Desmond narrowed his eyes at her. “And why must I do that? You could ask him yourself.”

She scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. “Alex and I are not talking right now so I need you to do it,” she said. Desmond considered it for a moment before he nodded his head. “I’ll do it.”

Dana was taken aback with his reply. "Y-y-you will?Th-that’s good to know. I thought…”

“You thought that I would protest? No, I won’t. Karen is his friend and I don’t want things to get even worse between them. He will come to the party, it’s my promise,” he said with a determined voice. Dana had a strange look on her face and her eyes were wide. 

At that moment Melissa, Alex and Ragland came down the stairs and Karen entered the living room. Karen sat next to Dana and Alex sat on the floor between Desmond’s legs. Ragland and Melissa sat on the recliners. They chatted for a while, asking about where Melissa lived and about herself. She told them about her boxing competitions and other experiences.

As Melissa recounted some funny stories about boxing, Desmond carded his fingers through Alex’s hair absently and Alex leaned into his touch and closed his eyes. He continued doing this and Alex settled more comfortably against his legs.

Desmond caught Dana staring at them more than once and he was not sure what to feel. She had an unreadable expression on her face and he wished he could know what she was thinking. 

They ate dinner after this and nobody spoke much during dinner. Ragland told Melissa about his job at the Hospital and things were going well, except for the stares given by Dana. Karen totally ignored Desmond, but she managed to make small talk with Melissa. 

It was around nine when Desmond and Melissa decided to leave. Melissa thanked everyone for the lovely dinner and hugged Alex. She hugged Ragland too for they both had become quite close within a short span of time. 

Desmond drew Alex away from the others and kissed him. After they parted he looked up into his eyes. “So Dana told me about this birthday party she is keeping for Karen,” he started and Alex sighed. He stepped away from Desmond’s embrace and ran a hand through his hair. 

“Shit, I totally forgot about her birthday.”

Desmond looked at him with concern. “Hey, are you okay? Dana mentioned something about you two fighting? What’s that about?”

Alex looked at him and cupped his face. “She is angry with me about getting together with you. She has been angry for the past seven months, ever since I stayed back during Christmas. She thought I was going to get together with Karen, but instead I am with you now. I never knew Karen cared so much,” he said and sighed. 

“I’m sorry, Alex,” Desmond said softly and leaned his forehead against Alex’s.

“You’ve got nothing to be sorry about. It’s just Dana being a brat. She’ll get over it.”

“Maybe you should talk to her about this. After Karen’s party, how about I invite her over to the beach house for a day? You guys could talk and sort things out?”

Alex smiled at Desmond’s concern and he placed a soft kiss on his cheek. Desmond leaned forward and kissed him fully on the lips. After a kiss or two, Alex nodded. “Okay. If Mel’s okay with inviting her over, then yes. And, I’ll go to this party and get it over with.”

Desmond grinned at him with relief. He knew that things could get sorted out eventually. All they needed was to be patient. 

They joined the others and he found Melissa waiting by his bike. He wished the others a good night and got on the bike. 

“Drive safely, Desmond,” Ragland shouted from the porch. Desmond nodded and set out onto the dark streets to return back to the beach house. 

The traffic was a little less and so they were able to reach the house quickly. They were surprised to find the lights still on inside the beach house. Everyone was actually up watching “Toy Story 2”. There were empty boxes of pizza lying on the table in front of the couch.

“So, let me guess, none of you decided to party and Arno selected a movie marathon,” Melissa said and laughed loudly. The others glared at Clay instead of Arno. “It was Clay who asked him to select,” said one of her friends. 

“Besides, we were all tired from walking around Fire Island and we like the movie,” Arno said.

Desmond chuckled at that and saw Clay give him the middle finger. Melissa went to Arno and curled up next to him on the couch. “It’s so cute when guys watch cheesy animated movies with girls,” she said and giggled. 

It was then that her friend, Grace asked her if Shay had watched ‘cheesy animated movies’ with her. Everyone became silent and Melissa let out a soft gasp. Desmond froze and stood there, ready to defend his cousin, but it seemed like she did not need any saving. 

Arno growled at Grace and clutched Melissa to him. “Yeah, Shay watches movies with her all the time. They’re best friends and why is this relevant?” 

Grace gave him a cold look. “Well, if they’re best friends, why didn’t she invite him here?”

Desmond felt his blood boil, but before he could say anything else, Melissa’s other friends came to her rescue. 

“That’s none of your business, Grace,” Arno said in a cold voice.

“Yeah. And Shay has come here many times before. Maybe he was busy or something,” said her other friend. 

Desmond smirked at the scene in front of him. He was glad that they defended her. He caught Arno’s eyes and nodded at him. He went to the kitchen and made a bowl of popcorn for himself. He went and sat on the couch on the other side of Melissa with the popcorn bowl in hand. Melissa moved over to Desmond and curled to his side. He pressed a kiss to her hair and whispered a soft ‘I love you’ to her.

“What’s your plan for tomorrow, Mel?”

Melissa looked at the TV screen as she answered him. “I’m gonna go with Clay to drop off my friends at their houses. Then Clay will drop me near Shay’s house. I need to talk with him and get shit sorted out. After that I will join Alex and come back here with him.”

Desmond frowned at her. “Exactly how will the two of you come back here?”

“We’ll take the subway. Don’t worry, Alex will be with me,” she said and smiled at him. He sighed and nodded.

Desmond leaned back into the couch and relaxed, enjoying the movie and the company of the teens. After the movie was over, he wished everyone a good night and led Melissa to her bed. Then he made his way to his own room. He fell on the cool covers of the bed and texted a ‘good night’ message to his lover. Then he also fell asleep with thoughts of Alex in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I seem a little less chatty than usual. It's just the past few days haven't been kind on me and I feel frustrated as fuck (apologies). But writing always eases it and I wrote this. Hope you liked this chapter. Don't worry, the annoying version of me will be back by the next chapter. Love you all! <3


	5. Cleaning The Mess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mess is created and then cleared. And Desmond's tolerance is also tested.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the starting of this chapter happens through Melissa's point of view and then it's Desmond's. And it's a big chapter I'm warning you. So, buckle up, kids.
> 
> Beta'd by Vi.
> 
> Enjoy it, guys!

The afternoon sun hit Melissa’s face as Clay drove towards Upper East side. They had dropped off her friends at their places and they had left with huge smiles on their face. Melissa was happy that they had enjoyed the trip. 

She felt a little guilty as she had spent most of her time with Desmond, but she knew that her friends would not mind. All of them knew how much she missed seeing him in person.

Desmond had been asleep when they had taken off in the morning. They had lunch in New York and after that Clay had dropped them off at their houses.

Melissa had told him to take her to Upper East Side after that. It was where Shay lived. She lived two streets away from him and it was quite convenient for them as they could meet whenever they wanted.

They arrived on his street a few minutes later and Melissa got down from the car with uncertainty. She was not sure why she decided to meet him, but she knew she had to. She walked around to Clay’s side of the car and kissed his cheek.

“Thank you for coming with me,” she said as he kissed her back. Clay nodded at her and told her that he had fun with all them. Then he waved at her and drove away. 

Melissa walked the few feet to the apartment in which Shay’s family lived. It was not a big place, but it was enough for his family. He lived with his aunt. His father was rarely home as he traveled a lot on duty. His mother had died after she had given birth to him and so the only motherly figure in his life was his aunt. She was a tough woman and she had raised him well.

Melissa texted Shay that she was near his apartment and asked him to meet her.

A few minutes later, Shay emerged from the apartment complex and Melissa let out a relieved breath. She was sure that he would not come and seeing him walk towards her calmed her mind. He had a determined look on his face. 

Even if it had been only a month since they saw each other, it felt like an eternity for her. He looked good, she thought. He was wearing a black hoodie, a white t-shirt underneath and black baggy jeans. His hood was down and his long locks were waving about his face. Melissa caught her breath at the sight he made.

He was beautiful, in a manly way.

She nearly laughed at what she had just thought, but she managed to control it. Instead, she gave him a soft smile and watched as his own expression softened.

“Melissa, what are you doing here?” He asked.

“I..uh..Can we talk? I think we should talk,” she said breathlessly and prayed that he would agree. He looked at her sharply and nodded.

“Let’s go inside. Aunt’s gone to work and I’m alone. Come on,” he said and led her inside. She followed him without protest and they went up to the third floor where he lived.

He opened the door and let her in. She sat down on the couch and he sat on the far side of it putting plenty of space between them. She shifted on the couch until she was facing him and then she spoke. 

“How are you, Shay?” She asked tentatively. He nodded without looking at her. “And you? How are you?”

“I’m good. Actually, I spent a few days at the beach house with my cousins and friends. It was nice to see my cousins and we had such fun,” she said and smiled. Shay frowned at her and huffed. 

“So why did you come here?” He asked a little harshly and her smile disappeared. “To talk with you. I wanted you there at the beach house, but you did not return my texts and it drove me crazy. We’re best friends. Friends don’t treat each other like this.”

Shay turned his face towards her and he had a cold expression on his face. “Oh really?” He asked sarcastically. This made her angry. She stood up and pointed a finger at him.

“Don’t be cross with me. I wasn’t the one who bolted after kissing my friend.”

And there, she had said it. Everything was silent after that. She could hear the birds chirping outside and she heard a car passing by. Shay stared at her with wide eyes and sat still like he was frozen. 

After a minute or two, Melissa moved and sat next to him. She placed a hand on his thigh and he looked at her.

“Shay, why did you kiss me?”

She saw him gulp and close his eyes. “Do you really need to ask that?” He said in a strained voice. Melissa nodded and moved closer.

“My cousin told me that talking would help us resolve this problem. I-I know that you weren’t the only one that kissed. I mean, I kissed you back, so..” she trailed off and looked at him. He still was not responding. 

She stood up again and began pacing. “I don’t know why I kissed you back. I mean, I think I know why you did it. You were probably overwhelmed with what I did and-”

“Grateful,” he said, interrupting her. 

“What?”

She had a confused expression on her face and she had stopped pacing. Shay sighed and got up from the couch. 

“I was grateful for what you did. Nobody had ever stood up for me before that and I felt happy when you did it,” he said and took a step towards her. She stood frozen at the spot. 

“You’ve always been there for me, Mel. And I know that I can rely on you. You’re my best friend, but now things have changed between us.”

“Wha-what do you mean?” she whispered, still frozen in her place.

“That day I spent with you was unlike any other day. It was special. You did so much to cheer me up and I don’t know why but it felt like a date to me. I know it was wrong of me to think that, but there ya go. Once I started thinking like that, I couldn’t stop myself. You’re just perfect for me, Mel,” he said softly and moved a few steps closer to her. 

“Perfect for you?” she said in a low voice.

He nodded once. “Yes. You know so much about me and my ways. You match me in my brutish ways and as far as I know, you’re the only lass, no, the only person who has ever knocked me down on my own ass. You make me happy and you _get_ me, Melissa.”

Melissa nodded slowly, but she still had a confused expression on her face. He took the final steps and stood in front of her. 

“Look, I know what I’m feeling isn’t love, but I know it’s something more than friendship. But if it’s just me who’s feelin like this, please tell me now,” he said.

Melissa let out a breath. This was not how she imagined the conversation to go. She thought they would talk and figure it out, but now she felt more confused. She looked up at him and thought of words to answer.

“I don’t know, Shay. I mean, one wrong move and it could destroy our friendship,” she said softly and closed her eyes. “Yeah, but one right move and it would be wonderful,” he whispered. She shuddered, hearing his accented voice so low and rough. 

“You don’t know that. It could go horribly. It could tear us apart and I can’t let that happen,” she said with fear in her voice. 

“You don’t know that. Neither you nor I can predict how it will turn out, but we won’t know until we give it a shot. I want to give it a try, Mel. What about you?” He asked with hope lacing his words. Melissa shook her head, her eyes still closed.

“I don’t know,” she uttered and he sighed deeply hearing her words.

“Alright, then. There is only one way to find out,” he said and her eyes flew open. His eyes looked lively and he grinned at her. “Don’t punch me, Mel,” was all the warning she got before he bent his head and placed his lips on hers. His palms rested on her cheeks and he moved his lips softly against hers.

Melissa’s eyes opened wider and she did not respond for a moment. She felt his lips moving against her and her mind switched off, not knowing how to react. But a second later, her body decided for her and she placed her hands over his waist, clutching his side and moving closer to him. She responded to him and felt her entire being fill with a pleasant warmth. She felt his thumbs graze her cheeks as he deepened the kiss.

Being inexperienced with the whole act, they ran out of breath a few seconds later and parted. They stared into each other’s eyes until Melissa broke it by closing her eyes and letting out a chuckle. 

“You reckless idiot,” she scolded him and chuckled again. Shay smiled lazily at her and drew her for a hug. 

“I think this answers all your doubts,” he said. Melissa nodded. “But we still need to talk, Shay. This is kind of a big deal, you know?” She said and moved away from his embrace.

“Do you have to go somewhere now?” He asked. She shook her head.

“I can stay for a while. What do you want to do?” 

He sat down on the couch and patted the space next to him. “Maybe we could talk, figure this out.”

She smiled at him and sat down next to him. “Yeah, I think I like that. Besides, spending the rest of the afternoon with you is better that what I had originally planned,” she said and leaned against him. 

She was glad that she had discussed this problem with Desmond. Even if he was oblivious at times, he gave the best advice. 

As she settled against Shay comfortably and closed her eyes, she felt all that anxiety leave her body. 

 

When she opened her eyes again, it was dark outside. She felt a soft pillow under her head and she sat up suddenly. She saw Shay come from the kitchen and smiled at him. 

Damn, they had not talked at all. 

They both stared at each other until a sudden beeping sound made her flinch. It was her phone. She took it from her pocket and saw that the battery power was almost over and that her phone was warning her about it.

“Shit! Shit!”

She switched off her phone and got up. “I need to go,” she said. Shay frowned at her. “You’re going home, right?” He asked her. She shook her head.

“No. I’m going with my cousin’s boyfriend, Alex, back to the beach house. I want to spend some more time there. So I need meet him,” she said.

“I’ll come with you,” he said. She tried to protest but Shay was having none of it. He put on his converse and wore his hoodie. “Where exactly are you going?” He asked her. 

She gave him the address to the club which Alex had told her earlier. He had told her that Dana was giving one of their friend a party. He had asked her to come to the club, so that she and Alex could return to the beach house.

“He wants you to meet him at a club? What kind of a loony is he?” Shay asked her incredulously. She merely shook her head at him and asked him to hurry.

They took the subway and made it to the club somehow. Melissa hesitated for a moment, seeing the bouncer. He looked shady as hell, but Shay grabbed her elbows and darted right past him. The shady bouncer gave them no notice. 

Once inside Melissa pulled her hand free from his. “What the fuck was that, Shay?” She hissed at him. She was not able to make out his expression properly as it was a dim lit bar. There was a dancing area a few feet from them and she spotted several people dancing. There were coloured lights bouncing off of the swirling bodies and some of the lights hurt her eyes. There was loud music blaring from the speakers and she hated being in there.

Shay grasped her fingers within his and pulled her close to him. “We both look older than sixteen, so stop freaking out,” he said in her ear and she shivered, hearing his gravelly voice.

He was right, though. They did look older than their age. She had tanned skin and toned muscles, which made her look like a badass girl. And the bouncer was not actually paying much attention to the groups of young people making their way in. So she tried to calm herself.

She strained her neck, trying to find Alex or Dana. She scoured the place with the warm presence of Shay next to her. After a moment or two, she reached the dance floor and pushed the people a little, trying to find if Alex was among them. 

She spotted his form and she smiled to herself, but then she stopped walking abruptly. When Shay felt her stop he stepped back and began asking her what was wrong.

She nudged her head to the place where Alex was dancing with a girl. Her sharp eyes recognized the girl in his arms as Karen. Anger burned through her skin seeing the two standing so close to each other.

“Is that him?” Shay shouted at her. She nodded and continued watching Alex dance with Karen, his arms around her waist and hers around his neck. It was sickening to watch, considering the fact that Alex was dating her cousin brother. Now, she was a considerate person. She understood if friends danced with each other, but the scene before her was too intimate to be just friends dancing.

Karen was pressed flush against Alex. 

As she continued watching them with anger, her expression turning to shock and then to cold fury when she watched Karen lean up and kiss him. She barely registered Shay cursing at the scene before she moved forward.

She heard Shay call out to her in a warning tone, but she paid no attention to him. All of her anger and focus was on the two-faced scum who was currently kissing Karen. She pushed dancers aside with her shoulders and reached them. As she neared them, she heard Alex growl at Karen and push her backwards. But that neither made her stop in her tracks nor did it prevent her fist from landing a punch on Alex’s jaw.

Alex muttered a surprised sound and he fell down. Karen gave out a scream and stepped away from Melissa. The dancers stopped dancing and moved away from her. Some gasped and other began whispering among themselves.

Melissa did not listen to any of them and she turned towards Karen next, her fist ready, but Shay came behind her and quickly took hold of her arms.

“Damn it, Mel. Control yourself,” he said. 

She looked with blazing eyes as Alex got up and faced her. “You scumbag. How dare you kiss this skank when you’re dating Desmond??!! He deserves better than this, you piece of-”

“Mel, that’s enough. Look, let’s just leave before that goddamn bouncer comes in here,” he said and let go of her. She leaned back against Shay and she felt his chest rise and fall as he sighed.

Alex stared at her in silence until Shay snapped his fingers in front of him. “Let’s take this out guys, come on,” he said and dragged them out.

As they moved out, Melissa bristled against Shay, trying very hard to not lunge at Alex. They rushed out and she continued walking until she was a few feet away from the club. 

Once outside Shay let go of her arms and she turned to face Alex. She was pale with rage and an expression of slight fear passed Alex’s face.

“Mel, please calm down. What you saw in there was-”

“Was the shittiest thing I’ve ever seen you do,” she ended up saying. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Look, let’s go to your house and then have this talk, okay? Not here, though,” she said and Alex nodded.

She turned to Shay and found him looking at her with concern. She placed a reassuring hand on his chest. “I’ll be fine. You better go home. Your aunt will be worried for you. I’ll text you later,” she said and gently pushed at his chest.

He looked down at her for a moment before nodding. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and hugged her. “You better take her back safely,” he said in a low voice to Alex. 

He let go of her and began walking away from them. She turned to Alex and they both stared at each other silently until they heard the club door open and close. Dana came running to them and noticed the bruise forming on her brother’s jaw.

“Oh fuck! What happened? Who punched you?” 

Melissa gave her a grim smile and nodded. “I punched him for kissing that Karen girl,” she said.

Dana looked troubled when she heard that. “She kissed you? Damn it. Karen, you idiot, _What have you done_?!” She muttered the last few words under her breath. Alex turned to his sister and asked her where Karen was. 

“Her friends have got her. They told me they’d take her home. They already left. I think we should go home too,” she said softly. Alex nodded and began walking down the street until they reached a black car. He took out a pair of keys and got in it. Melissa and Dana followed and they set out on the most awkward journey back to their house.

Melissa glanced at the clock in the car and gasped lightly. It was nearly 10. There was no way she and Alex could return back to the beach house. She felt a cold dread fill her when she realised she had not even called Desmond since morning. 

He must have been worried like hell. To her luck, they reached Ragland’s house soon and she got out of the car quickly and made her way to the door. 

Ragland opened it with a worried expression on his face. She rushed inside and waited for Alex and Dana to come inside. Once everyone was in, she turned to Ragland, getting ready to ask him if she could use his phone when he spoke up.

“I got some distressed messages from Desmond. You better listen to it and call him back. I went out to help out a friend with something and I came back only a few minutes ago to find four messages from Desmond,” he said and nodded at the phone by the couch.

Melissa sat on the couch and replayed the messages. The first one was at 8 pm.

“...Doctor Ragland? It’s uh..It’s me Desmond. Is Mel at your place? I’m not able to reach her and I’m a little worried. If she comes there can you please call me back?” came Desmond’s slightly quivering voice from the phone. 

The next one was twenty minutes after that and this time Desmond sounded a little scared. “....Ragland it’s me again. Has she come there? It says her phone is switched off. You see, Alex told her to meet her at the club and I don’t know where the hell Mel is. I-I need to know where she is…”

The message ended there and Melissa felt very bad. She could have gotten the phone from Shay and called him, but she was too involved with her own drama. 

The third message was around 8:45 pm and this time Desmond sounded panicked. 

“...Bradley! I can’t reach Alex either. His phone is switched off too. I can’t reach Dana and I don’t have Karen’s number. Dammit, Bradley where the hell is my sister! I swear to God, if something happened to her I don’t know what I’d do….Could you go the club and see if they’re there? Please, call me back. I’m getting really worried…” he said and his voice cracked at the end. 

Alex frantically checked his pocket for his phone and took it out. He looked at it for a moment and frowned. “I don’t remember switching it off,” he said. The machine played the last message left by Desmond. This one was received fifteen minutes before they had reached home.

“...Where the hell are you? That’s it...If you don’t call me back in the next thirty minutes...I’m gonna come there. I can be there in one and half hour. Thirty minutes….and then I’ll start from here..” He said with determination. The message ended there.

Melissa snatched the phone and immediately dialled his number. He picked up at the first ring and started speaking.

“Bradley, did she come-”

“Des, it’s me, Melissa.”

She heard nothing for a minute and then Desmond started screaming at her. 

“You little fool! You little ignorant fool! Where the fuck were you? What happened to your phone? Do you **KNOW** how worried I was? Your parents trusted me and sent you to the beach house. If anything had happened to you what would I have told them! And where is that idiot boyfriend of mine? How dare he switch off his phone when he knew you were coming to the club.??! And where were all of you, really,” he said and took a deep breath.

Melissa smiled sadly and closed her eyes. “Are you done? Can I talk?”

She heard a grunt from the other end and began explaining things to him. About how she went to Shay’s and slept there. She told him that her phone died on her and that she became late in reaching the club.

“And then? What happened at the club?” He asked her. She looked coldly at Alex and Dana. Alex shook his head and silently pleaded to not tell him. 

“I don’t know what happened to their phones, but we became a little late. Karen was drunk and we had to drop her off at her home. Bradley’s friend needed him for something and that’s why he wasn’t able to get the calls,” she said and pinched the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb. She heard him sigh on the other end.

“Des, we’re all sorry for worrying you. You know we’d never do this on purpose, especially me. I..I-I’m so sorry, Des,” she said and found her own voice break a little towards the end. 

“It’s okay, Mel. As long as all of you are fine. I guess..I’ll hang up now. You need to rest. I’m sure you have spent your energy walking all around the city. And I know that Alex would be tired too. Rest well. I am gonna come tomorrow and pick the two of you. I’ve rented a car, so don’t worry about it, okay?” He said and she chuckled. She felt her eyes prick with tears when she heard the concern dripping from him.

She gave Alex a fiery glare and felt her tears form more in anger. Here was her cousin, who loved Alex so fiercely and there he was, letting drunk girls kiss him in clubs.

“Of course, Desmond. I still say that we could come back using the subway, but if this is what you must do, then fine. We’ll meet you tomorrow. Until then, be careful, okay?” she said and nodded, even if he could not see her. 

“Yeah, I will. Good night and sleep well,” he said and she smiled. 

“You too, Des,” she said and was about to hang up when he spoke again.

“Oh and Mel? I love you,” he whispered softly and then the tear fell.

“I love you, too. Good night,” she said and hung up the phone. She turned towards Alex with a cold expression. “There, you made me lie to him. I hope you have a good excuse, Alex. He’s coming here tomorrow to pick us up and if you do not tell him then I will, you hear me? Now, Bradley, is there a place I can crash for the night?” she asked.

Bradley looked startled for a moment. In fact, even Alex and Dana looked startled. Maybe they expected her to shout at them or something, but she had no energy to fight with them. She had had enough for one day. 

Bradley recovered and led her to the only guest bedroom in his house. He gave her his phone charger and she thanked him. He wished her a good night and left her. 

She connected her phone to the charger and texted Desmond to bring her a set of clothes. She removed her shoes and threw her hoodie on the bed. She climbed over the sheets and slept on the comfortable mattress. She was too tired to think of anything else and she promptly fell asleep moments after she closed her eyes.

 

In the morning, she was woke up later than her usual time. She got up from the bed and proceeded to freshen up. After she freshened up she found Dana enter the room. The short haired girl was a year older than she was. She had a set of clothes in her hand and she placed them near the end of the bed.

“There’s a towel and a set of Alex’s clothes. I figured that none of my clothes would fit you because of my...petite size, you can say,” she said and smiled a little. Melissa stared at her with a blank expression until Dana nodded and turned around, walking to the door. 

However, she stopped near the door and she turned around. “Listen, about last night, I-”

Melissa stopped her by holding up her palm towards Dana. She stopped talking and she looked really guilty. 

“Look, I’m sure you had nothing to do with last night, but you still should have been there to stop her. You should know how much Alex loves Desmond. Being his sister how could you let him do this?” She asked and narrowed her eyes at Dana.

Dana stood there with a sad look on her face. Melissa rolled her eyes and walked towards the door.

“Oh and one more thing, Dana,” she said and Dana turned to her. “You can take those clothes back. I texted Desmond to bring me a set of my clothes,” she said and made her way downstairs to the kitchen.

As she made her way to the kitchen, Alex joined her and they both stopped in their tracks. She glanced once at his jaw and felt a little sorry. The bruise was big and the area around it was swollen.

She stared at him for a few seconds before she made her way to the kitchen. She sat down at the table and Alex followed soon after her. Dana came and joined them a few minutes later. Bradley prepared breakfast for them and they all ate in an awkward silence. 

An hour after breakfast, Desmond arrived and everyone heaved a sigh of relief. All of them were in the living room, waiting for his return. Melissa went to open the door for him and she found herself pulled into a tight embrace once she did. 

After hugging her he entered and stopped in his tracks. He eyed them all wearily and gave a humorless chuckle. “I see the entire squad is here, with the exception of Karen of course.”

“She’ll be here soon,” Dana said and looked at him. Desmond looked at her with a confused stare. Melissa was confused too. Why was she coming here? Maybe she was coming to apologise.

Melissa looked at Alex and then at Desmond. Alex nodded his head and placed his hands on Desmond’s shoulders. “Desmond, I have something to tell you. Can you please sit down?”

Desmond nodded at him and he sat down on the recliner. Everyone sat along with him. Alex started a little awkwardly, but he managed to tell the entire incident to Desmond. Half-way through his explanation, Karen showed up and things became even more uncomfortable.

Melissa observed Desmond’s reaction and found that he kept a neutral face throughout the entire conversation. She was concerned about how he would react, but he was handling it quite well.

After he finished telling him everything he hung his head and looked down. Desmond stood up and he pointed to Dana and Karen. “The two of you, can we go outside and speak privately for a moment?” He asked. Both of them got up and nodded meekly at him before following him outside. 

Alex looked at him, but Desmond did not meet his gaze. He went outside and Melissa saw him stand near the little garden outside the house. She felt dread settle in her stomach even if she knew that if anyone could solve this huge drama, it was Desmond. He had this natural talent to think with a cool head in the face of extreme pressure. 

She gave one last look at him and made her way upstairs with the cloth bag in her hand, hoping that things would get better.

 

(Desmond’s POV)

After Alex finished explaining the entire mess, Desmond was confused and a little frustrated. He wanted to speak first to Dana and Karen so he took them outside to have a private word with them.

Dana looked a little scared and Karen had a blank expression on her face. On closer observation he found black rings under her eyes.

“You look like shit, Karen,” he said with a tight smile. Karen huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. “I feel like shit.”

Desmond looked down and smirked to himself. When he drove that morning to New York, this was not the reunion he had planned. He sighed and put his fists into his hoodie pockets. He had worn his favorite white t-shirt, white hoodie and blue jeans.

He raised his head and met Karen’s gaze. “So, does he know?” He asked out of the blue. Dana and Karen both looked blankly at him. Dana spoke first.

“Does he know what?”

“Does he know that Karen’s in love with him?” He asked in an exasperated tone, already feeling annoyance creep up his mind.

“Wait, you know?!” Karen whispered. Really, how foolish did they think he was? He knew from the first moment he saw Karen interact with Alex that she was in love with him.  
He watched with amusement as Dana sent an accusing look at Karen. “I told you that you were obvious,” she said and scoffed.

“Obvious for everyone but that dumbass brother of yours.”

Dana nodded her head and agreed with him. “It was the weirdest love triangle ever. Alex was in love with you and this fool was falling for him. It was so pathetic after a while that it wasn't even fun,” she said and chuckled. 

Desmond turned to Karen looked her in the eye. “Karen, I may not know what it’s like to pine for someone the way you pined for Alex, but I do know pining. I was in love with this girl and after a year, she agreed to go out with me. And it wasn’t even worth it in the end, coz we both broke up. I know I’m the last person to give you advice but, you need to try and move on from him,” he said softly. 

She looked at him with a slight crease between her eyebrows. 

“I don’t know if it’s that easy,” she muttered and looked down. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. 

“It won’t be easy, but you need to do it. At least for his sake, if not for yours. If you distance yourself from him, it will only cause pain. You mean a lot for him and I don’t want my relationship with him destroying yours. I can’t do that to him, I...I care for him too much,” he said.

Dana looked up at him suddenly with wide eyes. “You love him,” she stated plainly. 

Desmond flushed, but he gave a small nod. “I’ve always cared for him all these years. It’s just, now I’ve fallen for him,” he said and smiled at her.

“Your brother loves you, Dana. I know you hate me because you think I stopped him from coming here, but that’s not the truth. He was just scared to come back here. It triggered bad memories for him and he wanted you to not worry about him. I know I should’ve said this before, but I’m sorry,” he said and placed a hand over Dana’s shoulder.

She cleared her throat and nodded at him. “I don’t hate you, but it would’ve been nice to know what was going on with him,” she said. Desmond smiled at her and let go of her shoulder.

“I’m gonna go inside and send Alex here. Please, make things right, Okay? I don’t like petty conflicts between people who care a lot about each other,” he said and turned around, making his way inside.

He found Alex pacing in the living room. 

“Alex, we-”

“I can explain things, okay?” Alex interrupted him and Desmond swatted his forehead. 

“Listen to me, you big moron. I just spoke with them okay? I am not angry with anyone, but you need to talk to them. Please?” He pleaded.

“Talk to them? I’m furious with them. Dana switched off my phone and Karen deliberately kissed me!”

“I know, but they had a reason, right? Now go and talk. And don’t be too harsh with them,” he said and pushed his boyfriend towards the door. He watched Alex go out the door and walk a little hesitantly to the girls.

He gave a silent fist pump when he saw them talking. Three down and one more to go, he thought. Melissa was still remaining. He was going to give her an earful for the scare she had given.

She joined him a few minutes later, wearing the clothes he had brought for her. 

“How are things going between the trio?” She asked nonchalantly, but Desmond was having none of it. He turned to her and crossed his arms across his chest. He frowned at her and she gave out a sigh.

“Give it to me,” she said and slumped her shoulders. 

All anger left him at the sight she made and he clutched her shoulders. She looked a little surprised seeing his soft expression.

“Last night, I panicked. If it was anyone else they would have handled it better, but I freaked out big time,” he whispered. 

Melissa gave him an understanding smile. “I get it, bro. You were worried for me,” she said.

Desmond shook his head and he scowled. 

“It’s not quite what happened. I was worried yes, but the thoughts running through my mind scared me. The day my parents had that accident, they had left in the morning saying they would come in the evening and that they’d call me. I remember how scared I had been when they did not return. I managed to dial my dad’s number, but the call did not go. An hour after that, Uncle Umar came. He had tears in his eyes and he held me. He did not say anything for a few minutess, until Aunt Maud told me,” he said and closed his eyes, trying to fight the horrible memories.

He was brought back to reality when Melissa rubbed his shoulders. He looked down at her and continued explaining.

“That was traumatic for me. I get panicked if the ones I care about don’t return on time. And yesterday, when none of you attended my call, I started getting memories of that dreadful night and I panicked. So I request you, Melissa, don’t ever do that again. For a moment last night I thought I’d lose you too. I know it’s stupid to think that, but now you know why I freaked. So, don’t do it again,” he said and hugged her.

Melissa placed her head on his chest and hugged him tightly. “I’m sorry for making you feel that way, Desmond. I know how much you love and care for me. I promise you I’ll never do it again,” she said.

A moment later, they separated and she looked up at him with a wide smile and glistening eyes. Desmond’s heart swelled with love for his little cousin. Then he remembered something she had said.

“So, you and Shay, huh?” He asked her in a teasing manner and she blushed crimson.

“We don’t know what we are, actually. We still have to talk, but yeah, things are looking good for us,” she said and chuckled.

Desmond was happy for her. The front door opened and Alex, Dana and Karen came in. They all had tiny smiles on their faces and Desmond guessed that things had gone well between them. 

It was then that Bradley entered the living room. “So, now that all this drama is over, you all will stay here and eat lunch.”

All of them laughed at his words and agreed with his plan. Melissa went upstairs and got her stuff. They spent time talking in the living room, with Melissa and Bradley cooking in the kitchen.

Lunch was delicious and filled with light hearted conversation. They spoke about the college which Desmond and Alex were going to and things seemed really fine. 

After lunch, they went out to bid farewell to Desmond, Melissa and Alex.

Alex hugged both his sister and Karen. Bradley patted Desmond on the back and wished him luck for college. He also hugged Melissa for they both had bonded quite quickly. 

After saying their goodbyes they got into the rental car and drove off. 

Desmond drove back to the beach house with a smile on his face. He had fun driving with Alex and Melissa as they both argued over silly things. 

He felt better compared to what he was feeling yesterday and he held onto this feeling, locking away this memory deep into his mind.

They reached Southampton nearly three hours later due to traffic. Desmond dropped off the rental car back at the rental place and the trio walked back to the beach house. 

They headed out to the beach and sat there for a while, enjoying the breeze and the soft sounds of the waves crashing. They watched the sunset together and sat there on the warm sand until the sun disappeared below the horizon. 

Melissa suggested to have dinner at the new seafood restaurant. This time Alex was there and she was happy that he would finally taste the food there. 

Alex actually ended up liking the food there and it surprised Desmond. His lover was quite picky about his food and it was an actual surprise that he liked it at the first visit.

After dinner they made a bonfire near the waves and sat around the fire, talking silently.

“I’m gonna miss this,” Melissa said suddenly. Alex and Desmond who were sitting next to each other on the opposite side of Melissa stared at her with a puzzled look. Both of them were huddled under a single large blanket.

“I meant, spending time with you guys. I know you’ll be leaving soon for college,” she said and smiled sadly. Desmond gave her a smile.

“It doesn’t mean we both will be gone forever. We’ll come for holidays and we’ll be back after our studies. And hey, we’ll always have skype to video chat,” he said and comforted her.

She nodded and her smile grew. They sat there for some more time, enjoying the soft sounds and the warmth. Melissa was the one to leave first. She was extremely tired and she wished them a goodnight before walking back to the beach house.

Once she left, Desmond’s gaze drifted to the dark haired teen leaning against him. After staring at him for a good minute he slowly moved his boyfriend’s head and stood up. Alex looked up at him, confusion spreading across his face at his actions until Desmond held out a hand for him. 

Alex grinned and took it, standing up. Desmond looked at Alex’s eyes and he felt warmth going through his body.

Desmond gazed at his lover’s face. The orange light from the fire made his face glow and his eyes shine. He placed a palm over his cheek and sighed when Alex leaned against it.

“You’re so dazzling. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything or anyone else so dazzling before,” he said and heard Alex chuckle. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long time until Alex broke the silence.

“I’m sorry for what happened yesterday. I never knew she felt that way and that she’d kiss me. I would never hurt you like that,” he whispered and Desmond shushed him softly by placing his index finger over Alex’s lips.

“I already told you I’m not angry,” he said and heard Alex’s sigh of relief. He chuckled and stroked Alex’s cheek.

“Besides, I could never be angry with you for a long time.”

“Why?”

“Because I lo-” Desmond cut off before he could complete what he was saying. Alex’s eyes widened a little and he pursed his lips. Desmond made up his mind and looked directly into bright shiny eyes.

“It’s because I love you,” he said and Alex closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Desmond continued speaking.

“I know that right now, it is nothing compared to what you feel for me. I should have said it earlier, but you know me. I’m not the brightest when it comes to feelings. What I’m trying to say is, that six months ago, I only knew I felt more than friendship for you. But now I know what I feel. Over the months, I fell for you, Alex.”

Alex still had his eyes closed. Desmond leaned further and rested his forehead against the other boy’s. 

“I already knew everything about you, but now, I got to appreciate it from a different view. I fell for your quirks and your hobbies. I fell for the passionate way you talk about things. I fell for the way you think and the way your thoughts work. I fell for your kind heart. I fell for everything about you. And I’d do anything to make you happy and smile.”  
He kissed his cheek and sighed.

“Don’t ever leave me, Alex,” he whispered against the other’s cheeks. Alex shook his head a little. 

“Never. I love you too much to let that happen,” he said and chuckled.

Desmond felt light and warm. He felt more alive that he had ever been in his life. There were no words to describe the contentment he felt at that moment. He leaned forward and kissed Alex.

Alex responded by licking Desmond’s lips. He bit lightly at his bottom lip and Desmond’s lips parted. 

He felt Alex’s tongue graze his teeth and then move against his own. He let out a soft moan as Alex deepened the kiss.

One of his hands was caressing Alex’s cheek while the other one was in his hair. Alex had both his hands around his waist and he pulled Desmond closer, tilting his face to kiss him better.

After kissing for a moment or two, Alex moved his lips to Desmond’s neck. He bit lightly at the skin there and then laved over the mark he had made. 

Desmond felt sparks go through his body and he let out a growl at Alex’s ministrations. 

After leaving a dark red hickey over his lover’s neck, Alex withdrew and looked into Desmond’s brown eyes.

As the cool air hit Desmond’s face, he realised that they were outside in a place where anyone could spot them. He took hold of his boyfriend’s hand and tugged him towards the beach house.

“Come on, let’s take this inside,” he said in a low voice and began walking towards the house with a grinning Alex in tow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, only one more chapter remaining and that's the epilogue guys. That one will have a slightly different rating, if you know what I mean ;) ;). It would be nice to hear from you guys. I'd love to know your thoughts and opinions. 
> 
> Sorry for stopping off at such an intense scene, but I promise you, I'll make good on the next one!
> 
> Until then, Love y'all!


	6. An Epilogue of Emotions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> __  
> If you ask me plainly I would gladly say,  
>  I'd like to have you round just for them rainy days,  
> I like the touch of your hand, the way you make no demands.  
> Our love is easy. 
> 
> _Our love is easy._  
>  Like water rushing over stone;  
> Oh, our love is easy, like no love I've ever known.  
> 
> 
> -Our Love Is Easy.  
> By Melody Gardot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! This is the final chapter and it has explicit content, I'm warnin ya. I haven't written much porn so bear with me if it isn't that good. This is also unbeta'd as my friend is not comfortable reading porn. So if any mistakes is there (I'm sure there aren't many coz I re-read them many times) please forgive me! 
> 
> This chapter is specifically for my beloved friend Vi, whose birthday is on 5th, December. I couldn't have done this without you, Vi. I'm really lucky to have you. I love you, girl!
> 
> As for my readers, please enjoy this porn filled chapter ;)!

The two lovers walked back to the beach house at a slow pace even if their desire for each other was burning like a violent fire within them. They silently entered the house and made their way up to their room.

Desmond went inside his room and closed the door once Alex was in. He turned around and pulled Alex flush to his body. He looked up at him with half-lidded eyes.

“Do you know, I used to confess my love to you most nights, after you had fallen asleep,” Desmond whispered, touching his forehead against Alex’s.

A deep laugh emanated from Alex and he closed his eyes.

“I was awake for every one of those confessions.”

Desmond pushed him away and gaped at him. “What? Then why didn’t you ever say anything?” He asked.

Alex leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on Desmond’s lips. “Because I knew you would freak out if I suddenly told you about it. I also knew that you needed time to make up your mind to tell it to me. After all, they aren’t simple words. They hold a lot of meaning,” he said and kissed Desmond’s nose.

Desmond stared at him for some more moments. He felt touched that Alex had given him time. He knew he would have freaked out like hell if Alex had told him that he had heard those embarrassing confessions. He knew so much. This led to another wave of warmth rush over his body.

“You amorous fool,” Desmond said and chuckled. He clutched the taller boy’s collar and pulled him in for a kiss.

He tilted his head and kissed Alex with a sudden urgency. Alex immediately parted his lips for his lover. Desmond gave a small bite to his bottom lip before thrusting his tongue into Alex’s inviting mouth. He moved his tongue against the other’s and heard Alex moan softly. 

They continued kissing for quite a while, lost in each other’s lips. The passionate dance between their tongues turned into a fight for dominance, each trying their best to overwhelm the other. In the end they parted at the same time, the need for oxygen making them separate.

Both of them were breathing hard and there was thin line of saliva going down their lips.

Alex placed his hands over Desmond’s waist and pulled him even closer. Desmond pressed both his palms against Alex’s white button down shirt. 

The shirt actually belonged to Desmond. There were no nice clothes to wear for dinner and so Alex had borrowed his button down shirt. Needless to say, the shirt fit him snugly and Desmond wanted nothing but to tear it off his body.

He ran his palms down his lover’s clothed chest and his abdomen, before moving them back up. His fingers caught one of Alex’s nipples. He pulled lightly on the nub and then massaged the area around it. Alex let out a tiny gasp. He did this for a few minutes until Alex let out a keening sound.

Desmond smirked and leaned forward, placing kisses over Alex’s jaw. He left soft kisses over his skin and then moved to his neck. He tilted his head and bit lightly at his pulse point earning him a moan of pleasure. His fingers found the other nipple and did the same thing, pulling and massaging until it puckered beneath his fingers. 

He proceeded to leave more bite marks around his neck and soon Alex’s neck was covered with red hickeys. Desmond hummed with satisfaction. He unbuttoned the top buttons and placed a soft kiss on Alex’s exposed collarbone. He then licked a long line from his collarbone to his ear, making Alex shiver against him. 

Desmond’s nimble fingers quickly unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it from his shoulders. He then tugged on Alex’s undershirt, asking him to remove it. 

Alex removed his undershirt and then proceeded to remove Desmond’s hoodie and T-shirt. He made sure to rub his fingers against Desmond’s skin as he pulled the shirt over his head. Once they were rid of their shirts their hands immediately sought out for skin. 

Fingers roamed over warm, tanned skin and left muscles quivering to the soft touch. 

Alex leaned in for another kiss. He licked tenderly against Desmond’s lower lip and then thrust his tongue forcefully into his mouth. He moved his tongue against Desmond’s and felt a shiver run through his body when Desmond moaned.

Desmond felt large hands grip his ass and he let out a surprised gasp. He scowled at Alex and was met with the sight of Alex grinning like the perverted fool he was.

Desmond pushed Alex over to the bed, untying his belt and unzipping his pants. Alex removed his pants and then tugged down his boxers. Desmond just pushed Alex until he sat on the bed. He then waved towards his own pants.

Alex grinned at him and reached out to touch him. Alex placed his palms on the jutting hip bones. From there, he dragged his palms down his legs. He then moved his palms to Desmond’s inner thigh and spread his fingers. He cupped Desmond’s crotch and gave it a slight squeeze. 

Desmond let out a soft noise. Alex then moved his fingers to the hem of the pants and he finally removed the remaining clothes off his legs. He loved it when Alex undressed him. It always seemed to turn him on even more. 

Alex swallowed hard when he saw his lover’s hardened member before him, red and flushed. He leaned forward and gave a tentative lick over the slit, making Desmond groan. 

Desmond looked down and watched as Alex laved his cock, making him twitch. He pushed at Alex’s shoulder until he moved back over the bed and lay on his back.

Desmond climbed over him, placing a leg on either side of him. He bent down and placed a kiss on Alex’s hip bone. He bit at the jutting bone until a dark red mark formed over it. He moved his lips from there to his stomach, leaving light kisses there.

He kissed his way up to Alex’s chest. He lapped at Alex’s puckered nipple and took it between his teeth. He felt Alex’s breath hitch and he grinned against his skin.

He pulled at it and licked it, loving the taste of Alex’s skin. He continued to torture Alex’s nub, making him squirm and moan. Then he moved to the other nipple and began sucking on that, causing Alex to let out more of his guttural moans.

“Oh the things...nghh...you _do_ with your tongue…,” Alex mumbled. Desmond let go of the wet nub and chuckled loudly.

“You seem to enjoy it just fine,” Desmond said and chuckled even more. With a slight growl Alex gripped Desmond’s thighs and shifted their positions. He rolled over and pressed Desmond to the mattress. 

He grinded down on Desmond’s body and kissed him passionately. Alex placed a hand beside Desmond’s head and he moved his other hand down Desmond’s tanned body. He gripped both of their hardened members and began pumping them together.

Desmond let out loud gasps as Alex continued his ministrations. He felt Alex lean down and bite harshly over his neck. Alex’s roughness increased as he became more aroused and Desmond fucking loved it. Desmond felt his hips jerk upwards at one of Alex’s harsher pulls. He pulled Alex down to him and placed his lips near his ear. 

“Alex, I want you,” he whispered and licked along the outer part of his ear. Alex shuddered above him and slowed his movements. He continued moving his hands in slow, lazy strokes as he looked down on Desmond with a heated expression on his face. Desmond’s hips jerked erratically and he placed a hand over Alex’s to stop him.

“If you continue doing that, I’m gonna come and this will be over _way too soon_ for my liking,” Desmond rasped out. Alex chuckled and stopped his hand. He leaned over Desmond and licked all the way from his chin to his ear. He pulled at Desmond’s ear lobe and let out a shaky breath.

“What do you want, baby? Tell me and I’ll give it to you,” he whispered. Desmond shivered as he heard the deep voice.

“Fuck me, Alex. Enter me… **devour me** … _make me scream your name_.”

“Oh fuck,” Alex muttered. He leaned over to the drawer next to the bed and took out lube and a condom. He placed the condom next to Desmond’s pillow and took the lube in his hand.

He poured out a generous amount on his fingers and moved his fingers down Desmond’s body. He placed one digit near the opening and pushed into it. Desmond felt the intrusion and he tried to relax his muscles, making the intrusion easier. He felt Alex move them in and out before he added a second one. 

Desmond looked over at Alex’s face and found those soulful eyes on him. He flushed deeply, looking at the open desire in his eyes. He gripped his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. He thrust his tongue deep into him and bit him. 

He felt Alex scissor his fingers inside him and he let out a gasp when one of his digit pressed against that sensitive bundle of nerves inside him. Alex smirked against his lips and continued to attack his prostate with his fingers. 

Desmond squirmed on the bed as Alex moved his long fingers in and out of him. Every stroke of those long digits sent little sparks inside him and he was slowly becoming lost in the feeling. For Alex, pushing his slick fingers into that heat and hearing Desmond’s wanton moans, made his cock twitch in anticipation. 

He thrust a third finger into him and Desmond could not take it anymore.

“Alex..please…” he gasped. Alex looked at him and raised a single brow, all the while moving his fingers inside Desmond.

“I need more. I need you in me,” he said. He needed Alex inside him. Those fingers were not enough for him. Alex leaned in and whispered in his ear asking him again what he wanted.

“Damn it, you stupid fuck. I want your cock in me!” He screamed and growled at him. 

Alex laughed loudly and removed his fingers from Desmond’s hole. He took the condom and opened it. Desmond snatched the condom from him and rolled it down his cock. He took the bottle of lube and poured some in his hands, before slathering the warm lube over his lover’s erection.

Alex let out a soft moan as Desmond smeared the lube over his cock. He let out a softer sound when Desmond moved those slick fingers over his sides and then to his back. 

Desmond parted his legs and wrapped them around Alex’s waist, pulling him closer. He looked on as Alex aligned himself with Desmond’s slightly stretched hole. He pushed in slowly, moving inch by inch until he was balls deep into Desmond.

Desmond felt like he was on fire. He felt Alex’s cock stretching him and pressing against every sensitive nerve inside him. He felt Alex move slowly inside him.

Alex pulled out a little and then pushed back in. He loved the heat of Desmond’s body, loved the way Desmond’s body took him in. He pulled out again and this time he pulled out nearly all the way before thrusting in with a little force.

Desmond shivered and gripped his back. Alex leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his forehead. He grazed Desmond’s thigh and hoisted his leg higher over his waist. 

Desmond took the hint and wrapped his legs even more tightly than before, trapping Alex between his strong thighs. Alex placed both his hands on either side of Desmond’s face and began moving his hips harshly against Desmond’s. 

At one particular angled thrust, he pressed against Desmond’s prostate and made him moan loudly.

Desmond saw white stars behind his lids as Alex found his spot. He then felt Alex aim harsh and deep thrusts directly at his prostate, making him see more colorful spots. 

He felt heat coil in his lower region and he gasped loudly as Alex gave another thrust. He moved his hand to his leaking member and took hold of it.

Alex tilted his head and watched as Desmond pleasured himself, moving his fingers up and down his erection. He let out a soft moan at the image Desmond made. He gripped the pillows tighter and moved even more harshly against Desmond. 

Desmond gave out a lewd moan as Alex’s pace increased. He felt the bed creak and move with every thrust. He felt the bed bump against the wall and he did not care.

He cared about nothing else except the pleasure Alex was giving him. He focused on Alex’s face and he loved the pinched expression on his face. Alex had his eyes closed and he was biting his lips. 

Desmond used his other hand and pulled Alex in for a kiss. 

Desmond felt the heat coil tighter in his belly and he pumped himself faster. He came a moment later, moaning directly into Alex’s mouth. He felt his come land on his own stomach and he let out a harsh breath.

“nnghh…A-Alex…”

He felt Alex thrust in him a few more times and he squirmed under him. 

Alex gave one last thrust and reached his climax, giving out a deep moan. He pressed his hips tightly against Desmond’s, burying himself in him as his muscles spasmed. He gave shorter thrusts as he rode through his orgasm. 

He kissed Desmond lazily and let go of the tight grip on his pillows. Desmond unwrapped his legs from his waist and let them fall against the mattress. 

Alex slowly moved out of Desmond and he heard a soft moan from Desmond at that. He removed the condom, tied it and threw it in the bin. He slowly got up from the bed and went to the bathroom to clean himself up.

After wiping himself with a wet towel, he brought one for Desmond. He wiped his boyfriend’s puckered hole and the places where his come had landed. After cleaning him he threw the towel in the clothes hamper.

Desmond was laying limp in the bed. He felt Alex climb into the bed and turned towards his side. Alex wrapped a blanket around them and pulled him closer.

Desmond stroked his cheek and kissed his forehead.

“I love you, Alex.”

“I love you too, Des,” he whispered to Desmond.

Desmond turned around and shifted until his back made contact with Alex’s chest. Alex wrapped an arm around his torso and pressed him closer. Desmond placed his fingers over Alex’s and closed his eyes, drifting off to a peaceful sleep.

Desmond woke up the next day with fewer bruises. He could not say the same for Alex, though. Desmond felt really sore after last night’s activities. He had been the first to wake up and he had just gazed at Alex with a fond expression until the other boy had woken up too. They had kissed and laid there for some more time before they decided to get up.

They showered together and dressed. Alex packed his things and stuffed them in his bag. They went down for breakfast and found Melissa sitting at the table reading a newspaper. Her shirt was damp and they both knew that she had been jogging and working out. She was sipping orange juice.

She placed the newspaper next to her juice glass and gave them a smug grin. Desmond frowned and asked her why she was grinning like that.

“Oh, it’s nothing. It’s just that the two of you have beautiful red hickeys over your necks,” she said and giggled.

Desmond flushed with embarrassment while Alex merely laughed. He moved to the toaster to make himself some toast. 

They ate breakfast and when they were finished Melissa groaned loudly.

“What is it, Mel?” Alex asked.

“I’m gonna miss you both so much. You’re going so far away from me,” she mumbled and looked down at her empty plate. Alex got up from his place and went to Melissa. He hugged her from behind and placed his chin atop her head.

“You can call us anytime you want. We’re gonna miss you too, especially me. How can I tease Des without you?” He said and earned a growl from his boyfriend. This made her snicker and he placed a kiss on her hair.

They made their way to the garage where ‘Almond’ was. Desmond chuckled, thinking about the ridiculous name that Melissa had given his bike. Alex glanced at him and asked him what was funny.

“She named my bike as Almond,” he said and snorted.

“I think it’s cute, combining our names like that.”

“You’re only saying that because you’re sappy as fuck and you like such things,” Desmond said.

“Don’t act like it’s not affecting you. I know you like sappy stuff too. Otherwise you wouldn’t have stuck it on your bike,” Alex said and gave a wide smile.

Desmond just smirked and put on his jacket. Alex did the same and he took the keys from Desmond. He had told Desmond that he wanted to ride the bike on their way back home.

He reached over to Melissa and hugged her tightly for a minute before letting her go. “What will you do now?” He asked her. 

“I’m gonna stay here until tomorrow. Dad’s got a day off so he’s gonna come and pick me up,” she said. He patted her head in a brotherly way.

“You stay safe now, okay? Don’t roam in the dark,” he said and kissed her forehead. She smiled at him and nodded. 

Alex went to the bike and sat on it. He started it and revved the engine a few times.

Desmond pulled Melissa into his arms and breathed in deeply. He was going to miss her so much. It was true that he and Alex were going far from their families, but they had to do this. They had to leave the nest at some point. At least, he thought, they were together. 

“I love you so much, Mel. Thanks for this vacation. We had a lovely time,” he said and kissed both her cheeks. 

“I love you too. You take care of him and yourself, okay? I’ll be fine. Keep in touch,” she said and stepped away from him, tears forming in her eyes. He nodded at her and hoisted Alex’s bag over his shoulders. He put on his helmet and sat behind Alex. 

He waved at his cousin sister and smiled at her. She smiled back and waved at him. They moved out the garage and into the bright morning, starting their journey back home. 

He would miss her so much. He only hoped that Shay would give her the happiness that she deserved. And if he ever hurt her, well, he would face the his wrath. But he was still happy that she had found someone that she could trust other than her cousin brother. 

He would make sure to call her every day when they went to college. He’d come back after his education, though, but it still pained him to leave his closed ones behind. But that was how these things went.

Desmond smiled to himself. He knew that their future looked bright for them, but the most important part was that he had someone to share that future with. This little feeling he could not share it with anyone else. These emotions he could share, with only one person. 

It was **Alex** , his best friend. His boyfriend. His future. 

A person who Desmond belonged to completely.

A person who was _his and his alone._

 

* **The End** *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you my beloved readers and I really hope that you enjoyed this fic. Feedback is always appreciated! A huge thanks to my beloved friend Vi. Writing this fic was her idea and she really helped me when I got stuck. Do check out my other works if you have the time. 
> 
> Love y'all!

**Author's Note:**

> Riiight...So the hot and heavy stuff comes later. For now, you guys gotta take only this non-explicit one. How was it? Don't worry, everything seems really good right now, but the problems erupt later! Please feel free to express your opinions. 
> 
> Also, the beach house doesn't exist, neither does the seafood restaurant :P
> 
> Until Next Time!!! Love you all!


End file.
